From Another World
by GristlyBarr
Summary: A human-turned-pokemon wakes up to find himself in a world he does not know. On his way back home, he will experience adventure beyond imagination and form everlasting bonds with the world's inhabitants. [Ribombee is a main character but Gen 7 Pokemon are not options in the character select]
1. Chapter 1: A buzzing in his ears

_Uploaded 08.06.17_

 _My Pokemon Fanfiction is here! I've been waiting for a while for this story as the title was a pain to come up with (feel free to suggest better alternatives). I have little to say other than enjoy!_

* * *

 ** _Chapter 1: Day 1 – A buzzing in his ears..._**

In the Pokemon world, there was a meadow. Lush green grass swayed in the breeze, as if waving to the endless blue skies above. A serene quiet encased the area and a pleasant aroma could be smelled at any hour of the day. In this meadow, there was a tree. It wasn't a large tree, nor was it grand. It was barely enough shelter for the sleeping form that lay beneath it. And beneath this tree was where the tale of two pokemon would begin. A tale that changed everything.

"Rise and shine, Drowzee-head!"

There was a rustle in the grass beneath the tree as the slumbering form got to his feet. A yawn and a stretch later revealed the figure; A sandstone-clad creature, with large and flat plates that sheltered his hide from the outside world. The tough plates, however, did nothing to protect him from the shock he received when he opened his blue eyes; A bee. A large bee. With his eyes now wide in disbelief, it was needless to say that the mouse pokemon was speechless. The petite bee, on the other hand, was taking much delight in the bewilderment of the confused pokemon.

"Hello, Sandshrew!" cried out the jubilant insect. The sentiment was lost on the Sandshrew as he thought about the second word that was uttered, as well as the fact that he was currently conversing with a bee – a _scarf-wearing_ bee, at that! The countless questions threatened to topple the Sandshrew over. And they did. The Sandshrew fell to the ground, unconscious.

A soothing smell entered the nostrils of the distraught pokemon as he awoke once again. Still underneath the tree, he noticed that the shade no longer covered him. The sun was starting to set.

"You're funny, did you know that? I'm Ribombee, by the way."

The Sandshrew froze up upon hearing that his cheerful tormentor hadn't left but was sitting in the tree above him. She was no longer whizzing around, so the Sandshrew could get a decent look at his curious acquaintance. Two wings, almost as large as she was, idly fluttered behind her with markings on the wings that matched the colour of her scarf. Four small black limbs protruded from a yellow body and ended in small hands and feet.

"What's wrong?" The bee pokemon saw that something was clearly off about the Sandshrew. Maybe it was the way he awkwardly and clumsily carried his weight was as though he was wearing a suit. Maybe it was the fear that was deeply-rooted into his eyes. Maybe it his stunned silence. But he wouldn't remain silent for much longer:

"I'm not a... You're a... you can... talk," The Sandshrew stammered out. His words never failed him in a normal situation but this clearly wasn't a normal situation. Another titter was elicited from the bee fly pokemon. The Sandshrew made a second, more successful attempt at talking. The words, although small in number, changed the mood dramatically and altered the severity of his situation tenfold:

"I'm not a pokemon."

Ribombee almost fell out of the tree in shock before quickly regaining her altitude with her wings. They buzzed rapidly, faster than the average eye could decipher, albeit slightly unsteadily. The small buzzing helped to conceal the confused sound she made. A thoughtful expression upon her face, she thought about what had been said and if there was truth to it.

"You can't be. You're clearly a Sandshr – It would explain your confusion. But if you're not a pokemon, then you would – It would explain you being a little skitty-cat –"

"–Am not!"

"–Yes, you are. If you're not a pokemon, what are you, then?"

The Sandshrew pondered this for a moment. What was he? If he was a Sandshrew but not a Sandshrew, what did that make him? He felt that he was not always like this. He felt that not even yesterday he was something else. A human.

"I am – or was – a human."

The statement was said with all his confidence. Deep down, he knew it was true. He didn't expect Ribombee to know what a human was or that Ribombee would believe him but it was his best shot. The bee fly pokemon stared deep into the eyes of the Sandshrew as if she could see right through any lies that were uttered before delivering a verdict.

"I don't know what to think. Who's to say you're not pulling my leg?"

The Sandshrew looked down. Needless to say, this was not the outcome he was expecting. His spiraling thoughts of negativity were swiftly interrupted by the bee, however:

"Hmm... Even if you _are_ lying, Sandshrews are nomads, so, you would still need a home. And I feel you could be a good help back at the hive. Whaddya say? Interested?"

The Sandshrew scratched his head in contemplation, only to stop when he realised his claws were sharper than he thought.

"Well, I have nowhere else to go..."

"I knew you'd agree!" She cheered, whizzing a few laps around the Sandshrew's head, "What's your name?"

"I have a human name but that's not important. If I am going with you, we should probably keep the whole 'human' shebang under wraps. I guess I'm just going to be called 'Sandshew'?"

The bee fly pokemon chuckled at him.

"You catch on fast!"

Sandshrew was unsure as to whether a blend of sarcasm and wit was used or if she was just being nice.

"Your Majesty! Where are you?" called out a distant voice. The voice held a certain wisdom that came with age. The Ribombee whipped her head around to the noise and flew into the air before letting some sparkling pollen into the sky, acting as a flare.

"Over here!"

In a matter of seconds, another insect-like creature had arrived by the tree which was quickly becoming the most crowded spot on the meadow. Menacing red eyes and a metal sheen greeted the yellow mouse pokemon. Sandshrew was only just starting to connect the dots himself when his thoughts were interrupted by the Durant confirming his suspicions.

"Your majesty, where have you been? I turn my back for five seconds and you're gone! As your royal advisor, if something were to happen to you, Your Majesty –"

The Ribombee just snickered behind a hand in response before whispering to Sandshrew:

" –I'm sure he'd make a great replacement queen, don't you think?"

Any gravity or pressure that was weighing the Sandshrew down disappeared in a fit of laughter that caught the royal advisor's eye.

"And who might _you_ be?"

When confronted with the seething iron ant pokemon in front of him, the Sandshrew's words dried up like a source of water next to a Cacturne.

"I... She was..."

"'She'? I shall demand you address her by her proper title! And what were you doing with Her Majesty? Kidnapping her? Are you in league with the Beedrills?"

This time, it was Her Majesty that took objection to the choice of words used.

"'Kid'napping? I'm old enough to run our hive, y'know!"

"You don't know how, though," the Royal Advisor scoffed.

Ribombee merely crossed her arms before the Royal Advisor addressed Sandshrew once again.

"You'd best be leaving, hadn't you?"

Ribombee rose a few feet in the air and corrected her posture before interjecting.

"Ahem. Actually, I believe that our acquaintance can help us out."

"What can this _ragamuffin_ do to help us?"

Ribombee whispered in the ear of the Durant. He had a contemplative look on his face before nodding. At this, Ribombee fought to conceal a squeal of happiness before composing herself.

"Arise, Sandshrew. After much thought, we have deemed it beneficial for you to join us as a Royal Guard."

"Really? That's quite the step up from a... nomad –" Ribombee winked at the Sandshrew in understanding, "– to a royal guard."

The Sandshrew thought he was finished talking, but the formality-obsessed pokemon beside them glared at him to remind him of what to say next;

"Err... Your Majesty," Sandshrew said, bowing as he did.

"You won't need to call me that. Just 'Ribombee' will do," She chuckled.

Oh, the look Durant gave her at that…

* * *

The human-turned-pokemon, Sandshrew, wakes up in the presence of Ribombee, a queen. What adventures will ensue?

Chapter 1 is always one of the hardest things to write. It has to be revealing enough to entice the reader but vague enough to intrigue the reader. I had fun figuring out what tone I should use and I'm happy with the result.

On a serious note, I have an honest question I have to ask you all. My friends know of my fanfictions but they do not know my username or story titles. For a few years, I've kept specifics vague to stop them from finding it. Not out of fear or embarrassment, but out of... I don't know. I guess it's always been something I did solo (with the exception of a beta-reader occasionally) and them knowing of it may alter things in a bad way. Should I tell them the specifics?

Also, feel free to suggest a better title.

Thanks in advance!


	2. Chapter 2: Training

Uploaded 17.06.17

Chapter 2 is here! My last chapter received some of the best ratings I had received yet! Around 16 views in two days (That's a new record for me, as insignificant as that is...)

Enjoy!

* * *

 ** _Chapter 2: Day 5 - Training_**

"...And stop looking so unsure of yourself. It's not very reassuring to have a quivering ball beside me –"

"– I'm not quivering!" Retorted the new royal guard of Her Majesty's hive.

"Yes, you are. I'd be impressed if you could make the ground shake as much as _you_ shake."

"That was a low blow…"

A few days had passed since Ribombee had met the human-turned-pokemon, Sandshrew, and she had taken him under her wing to help at the hive. There were many questions lingering within the mouse pokemon but there was not a single answer. Looking around him, seeing the intricate hexagonal architecture of the throne room, Sandshrew didn't mind. He was content to stay here. Even so, the questions still chewed away at him. And if he was to be a royal guard, there was something that he would have to do.

Spotting Ribombee, who had since flown off since their conversation, Sandshrew dashed off to meet with her. In his few days of living as a pokemon, Sandshrew experimented and found darting around on all fours to be the most comfortable and natural way of running. Doing so was a novel experience that Sandshrew found to be quite enjoyable.

"Your Majesty!" He called out, waving his arms in the air.

"Hmm?" She turned around to be greeted by the pokemon nearly toppling over at her feet as she landed.

"Careful there, Sandshrew."

"Sorry, I've been practising but it takes a while. It takes a while to learn to walk and run."

Ribombee looked left and right before talking:

"Don't let anyone hear you say that. What was it you wanted of me, anyway?"

It was Sandshrew's turn to look around before whispering to Ribombee:

"Could you… teach me how to fight? Right now, I'm a tad useless as a royal guard, don't you think?"

The scarfed bee held a hand to her chin as though carefully pondering the question.

"I'm not entirely sure how I can help you but we can try," She said, drawing from her unending well of optimism.

Within the hour, Sandshrew was walking into a large, empty room. Ornate chandeliers of glowing pollen hung from the ceiling and an unforgiving stone flood met his feet below him. As Sandshrew got on his hind legs to get a better view of the room, Ribombee flew into the centre of the room and proudly proclaimed that this was the 'Sparring Room'. Sandshrew towered over the other Cutieflies of the hive but this room dwarfed even him. Each and every step echoed through the walls as though recording everything that ever happened in here. It looked like they did, too. Upon closer inspection, small scratch marks and scorched areas ("By making our pollen vibrate a specific way, we can get some explosive results") could be seen.

Opening a book that had previously been carried under her arm, Ribombee started to read. Sandshrew couldn't help but stare as the Ribombee sat cross-legged – In mid-air. Even with the weight of the book, she still balanced herself just fine. After some time had passed of flicking through pages as Sandshrew took some practise laps around the room, Ribombee had evidently found something of use.

"Okay, Royal guard. As you can tell, I have no mental connection with the earth so I'm just going to read this out. Are you ready?"

"Probably…" He said, still unsure of himself.

"It's fine. I'm flying, I won't get hurt."  
"With all due respect, Your Majesty, that's not what I'm concerned about," said the Sandshrew, eyeing the tall ceiling.

"That ceiling's been through worse. Plus, it's your first time. No offence, but you're not going to be grounding cities anytime soon."

Sandshrew walked into the middle of the room with Ribombee above him.

"What do I do?"

"Your first step is –" A clearing of the throat later, she continued – "'Feel the world turn beneath you and listen to the rock you are on hurtle through space. A calm breathing pattern is mandatory for this to work. There will be some deep connection from within. It cannot be described, and it is theorised that it differs between Ground-dwellers. Feel the world stop turning as you make your move'. You got all that?" Looking down, Ribombee saw the Sandshrew laying on the ground, silent.

"You okay?"

"Shhh… I'm listening to the world… I am at peace…"

Ribombee descended to be hovering just beside the Sandshrew.

"Can you really hear the world turn?"

"Nope. I've got no clue. It's impossible to hear the ground with all of this noise on it," Said the mouse to the bee as he sat up.

"Maybe the stuff in this book is more advanced?" It was clear Ribombee was clutching at straws here.

"Okay. Until then, you can still learn some basic attacks, right?"

Sandshrew nodded in response.

"How about you learn to roll? It would be faster than running and you could probably break something if you go fast enough…"

"When you say 'break something', I hope you don't mean a bone –" Sandshrew quipped –"Regardless, that makes sense. I'll try that."

What followed was several attempts to curl up into something resembling a ball, to Her Majesty's amusement. When she could contain her laughter, she occasionally interjected with suggestions of where to put an arm or a leg. Eventually, after much effort and confusing assorting of his limbs, a seamless ball was made. Ribombee flew a few rings around the ball to inspect it. No claws sticking out, no plate out of place, no nose resting uncomfortably on the ground. He had done it. A muffled voice could be heard from within the ball.

"What was that? I can't hear you," Ribombee replied.

After unfurling, the Sandshrew looked incredibly proud of himself.

"Did I do it?" the anticipation was bursting from every word.

"I think it was perfect. I couldn't hear you from inside – Is that thing soundproof?"

"Sounds like it."

Ribombee applauded him.

"Go for a victory lap, then," Ribombee said, gesturing to the large room they were in.

After a few seconds of shuffling around, Sandshrew was once again a ball. Nothing but tough hide was exposed to the outside world. Rocking back and forth, the ball gathered some momentum before taking off. A trail of dust followed behind him as he rumbled along. From inside, Sandshrew could feel he was moving but nothing else. A serene feeling of weightlessness washed over him as he rolled. Without seeing, Sandshrew could hear the earth beneath speaking to him and guiding his movements. His small triangular ears were enough to hear the tiniest of objects on the ground around him.

Ribombee could only watch in amazement as the pokemon that had only been in existence for barely a week barreled around her at breakneck speeds like he had been doing it all his life. This Sandshrew had potential. Slowing down, Sandshrew went in front of Ribombee and unfurled himself once more.

"Aren't you dizzy?" She enquired.

"Surprisingly, no."

"But… how did you know where everything was?" A tilt to the head emphasised her confusion.

"I heard everything. Not just the things making a sound, but everything. Does that make sense?"

"Not in the slightest. I guess it's a ground-dweller thing."

There was a brief pause before Ribombee snapped her fingers.

"Wait! If you could hear things, was that what the book was talking about?"

A look of astonishment soon coated Sandshrew's face. Without saying another word (for he was too eager), Sandshrew was once more a ball.

Listening for everything, Sandshrew calmed his breathing. Soon, he could feel a slow rhythmic breathing upon his chest. Hearing the voices of the earth that lay beneath him, he sensed the world, one massive boulder, turning beneath him as he began to concentrate. It felt like he was being torn apart and yet he was at peace. Fine particles of sand now made up every fiber of his being as the energies of the earth were channeled through him. Within seconds, sand was starting to appear from between the plates in his hide. The grains whirled around him and whipped up a gale that had locked on to a space in fron of them, as though an invisible adversary was standing in front of them. After a surprisingly short amount of time, a column of sand had formed a few meters in front of them. Ribombee gawped at the sight of the Sand Tomb in front of her. Although weak, it was impressive for a first attempt. She did not envy anyone that were to be inside those winds. In an instant, the tomb had collapsed and sand was dispersed throughout the room.

"Did it work?"

"It did, my loyal guard," Ribombee grinned, mocking formality, "You'll be splitting the ground in no time. Not in the hive, though."

As the joy of achievement lingered in the air around them, they failed to notice the tapping of metal on the hard ground.

"What is this ruckus? Disrupting Her Majesty's royal duties again, I see."

Both the mouse and the bee whipped their heads to the doorway to see Durant standing there.

In an instant, Ribombee had flown over to him and had slipped into her formal voice.

"Given that our royal guard is new, I felt it necessary to ensure that the hive can rely on him to defend us all."

Peering into the room, the iron ant pokemon saw the book that had been dropped to the floor when he entered.

"Is that what I think that is? I should hope our royal guard does not need a book to know how to defend your life. Is he a fraud? Is that it?"

"Not at all! I… was curious about the information in the book so I asked him to demonstrate. Y'know, first-hand experience and all that, right?" Ribombee's lie fell on deaf ears.

"Okay, I believe you."

Sandshrew breathed a big sigh of relief – Ribombee would have too, were it not for the advisor in front of her. That satisfaction was short-lived, however. Turning his attention to the Sandshrew in the middle of the room, he called out.

"Demonstrate. I wish to see these abilities of your kind. Let's have a little sparring match. You win, you stay. If I win, you leave the hive because you're inadequate for the job. Do we agree?"  
It was fortunate that the Durant didn't hear the stream of stammers and sputters that poured from the Sandshrew's mouth.

Ribombee could see the Sandshrew's panic, thankfully.

"Are you sure? He might… err… get a bit too rough,"

"You forget who I am, sometimes."

"You're not the young warrior you once were."

I want to finally get to know him. You've been talking non-stop about this 'nomad' and I wish to find out for myself what kind of person he is," Durant's words were as though they were set in stone. Ribombee whizzed over to Sandshrew who was already shaking.

"I'm sorry, I did all I could. Once his mind's made up, there's no changing it."

"It didn't look like it! I've barely been on this world a week and already I'm fighting to earn my keep! What if I lose? Is the outside world always fighting to survive?" His words, while whispered, conveyed all his anxiety and frustration.

"You saw me out there – I can roll and I can use sand. He's made of metal!"

Ribombee landed on the floor and walked up to the quivering wreck of a pokemon, grabbing his clawed and rough hand.

"Listen to me. Experience is going to be the best way to learn. Sometimes you gotta learn to run before you can walk. I believe in you. I won't let you leave the hive –"

" – You heard what he said!"

"I know. You'll win, trust me. Just go with it."

With a wink, she flew off to her perch at the top of the room.

Durant stood with the confidence of his years and experience behind him. Sandshrew, on the other hand, had entered a pose akin to that of a sprinter before a race. He was attempting to intimidate the Durant with a cold hard glare but the quivering arms were betraying him. The Durant, was able to stare directly into Sandshrew, as though he could see through the thick, protective coverings of his shell and straight through the lies. Ribombee flew above them both.

"Standard sparring rules apply. No lethal blows and stop immediately if the other person forfeits. Telepathy and teleportation are not allowed – Not that that'll be an issue in this fight. May the best mon win."

After a wink from Ribombee to Sandshrew that went unnoticed by Durant, Ribombee subtly pointed to what she had in her hand and pointed to the mouse pokemon and then made a small rolling motion with her finger, finishing by pointing at the royal advisor. Sandshrew didn't fully understand but he had to take any chance he could. After a second of realisation, he knew what the sneaky monarch was up to. Her Majesty threw a cluster of brightly-coloured pollen into the air to signal the start of the match before she quickly flew back to the perch at the top to watch in anticipation. Did he understand? Will her plan work? To keep Sandshrew around, Ribombee needed to pull a few strings beneath the table.

Right from the start, Durant stayed still. He merely watched the yellow mouse enter a ball from a leap forward. Before he encased himself, he saw a grin on the face of the Durant. Not reassuring. For the rest of the fight, he was going to have to stay covered by his tough plates of sandstone to outlast his opponent. Jetting forward, Sandshrew approached the centre of the room where Ribombee had been mere seconds ago and past it, charging straight for the iron ant. The upside to having a steel-clad opponent was that Sandshrew could hear the subtle change in his stance. Within his sphere of silence, Sandshrew could apply his (albeit limited) knowledge to the situation and deduce that a counter-attack was on the way. Sandshrew swerved right next to the Durant, barely scraping one of the iron ant's legs before rolling off again, narrowly avoiding a strike from the jaws of the Durant.

Durant moved forward with a surprising amount of speed, nimbly dodging another attempt at a ram by the sandstone-covered ball. Ribombee watched from the ceiling. She had watched enough of Durant's sparring fights to know what was coming next. Durant began to rub his legs on himself as his armour grew to a near-blinding sheen.

"Rock Polish," muttered Ribombee as she saw what he was doing. Sandshrew could hear the scratching of metal on metal and knew something was happening. Exiting his ball, Sandshrew was on the other side of the arena. Durant took this chance to go up to Sandshrew in nearly the blink of an eye and go for a pincer grab. Pain surged through Sandshrew's body as the fleshy underbelly was pinched by the Durant's metal jaws. Quickly, Sandshrew retaliated with a claw to the royal advisor's face. It barely made a mark on the shell but it was enough for Durant to flinch away. Sandshrew used his stubby claws to go for another attack, only to be, once again, denied the satisfaction of a mark. Another jab with the pincers was scarcely avoided as Sandshrew retreated once more into his ball, rolling away.

Steadying his breathing, Sandshrew once more could feel the sensation of sand oozing from his hide. Getting too close for comfort, Sandshrew was able to entomb the ant in the sand. This had more of an effect. The sand blasted away at the shiny armour, leaving it as dull as it had been at the start of the fight. Once the sand lacked the energy to bombard the Durant, it dispersed. Durant looked at Sandshrew as a green aura gathered in front of the ant. The whisper of the leaves was all Ribombee needed to hear to know what Durant was doing.

"Energy Ball. I forgot…"

The blast of nature penetrated through the tough, plated hide of the Sandshrew, knocking the ball over. The moss grew on the plates and started to erode it. The foliage dug through his armour and stung at his skin. Thinking quickly, breathing through the pain, Sandshrew decimated the moss with some sand expelled from slots between each plate. Sandshrew was running out of options but there was one left. He retreated to the middle of the arena and rolled in a circle, gathering speed and momentum.

And pollen.

Sandshrew thought back to those gestures Ribombee made, Sandshrew quickly figured out Her Majesty's plan. Sandshrew recalled those marks on the wall and connected the dots after remembering what Ribombee had said. After gathering enough pollen on himself (He could hear little specks all around his body), Sandshrew turned and faced the direction of the tapping metal. Once more, the sound of crinkling leaves and swaying of branches told him there was not a second to waste. Putting all his weight and energy into moving forward, Sandshrew jetted at full speed for the iron ant. From her perch, Ribombee knew it was her time to pull the strings she had carefully placed for him. Focusing on the pollen around him, Ribombee began to resonate the pollen in a precise way. With the wave of the hand, the pollen ignited. It was enough to get the Durant off his feet. No serious damage had been done but it was just enough to win Sandshrew the fight.

After uncurling himself, Sandshrew looked up to see Ribombee winking once more at him.

Returning his focus to the iron ant in front of him, he saw what that sound was. Ribombee calmly flew next to Sandshrew.

"Don't worry, he's been through worse, the old-timer. I learnt that trick when I was a little Cutiefly. Be still for me," Ribombee murmured as she noticed something behind him. Leaning back, she plucked a vine from between two of his plates. Ribombee took another cursory glance over the wearied mouse.

"You might want to rub some pollen on that," Ribombee suggested, gesturing to the scratch on Sandshrew's belly.

"Is there anything you don't use pollen for?" Sandshrew replied, rolling his eyes.

"No. Why would we?"

A groan at their feet directed their attention back to the now-conscious Durant. His armour had been dulled but his eyes were filled with a certain light Ribombee had not seen in years. Steadying himself on his six feet, Durant began to speak.

"It has been a long time since I was bested single-handedly in the arena. However, that has not changed. I know Ribombee's techniques when I see them."

The royal guard and monarch exchanged looks with each other.

"However, I have to admire how well that went. You may stay, royal guard."

It was a wonder Durant wasn't blown away by Ribombee and Sandshrew's sighs of relief. So many emotions were running through the mind of Sandshrew. Joy – He could stay at the hive. Relief – He wouldn't have to fight anything (for a while, at least). Pride – He had managed to best a worthy adversary in combat, albeit with the help of a friend behind the scenes.

Sandshrew extended an arm in a sign of respect.

"No hard feelings, right?"

"Don't push your luck."

* * *

Sandshrew learns a couple of basic tricks and puts them to good use, with the help and under-the-table assistance from Ribombee.

This is the longest Chapter I've ever done! Quality over quantity, I know, but it's still quite satisfying.

I have not received any response to last chapter's question: Should I tell my friends about my Fanfiction? (No need to leave a review stating your opinion on this, just a PM will do). More details can be found on the footnote at the end of the last chapter

The next chapter will be ready at some point. Not sure when - Almost definitely within two weeks.


	3. Chapter 3: The Royal Guards

Uploaded 26.06.17

Chapter 3 is here! I _really_ enjoyed writing this chapter - enjoy!

* * *

 ** _Chapter 3: Day 9 – The Royal Guards_**

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Sandshrew stepped through the ornate hallways. He had food in his belly and a subtle excitement for what the day held. He had finally started to settle into life at the hive. On the way to the throne room, Sandshrew had only taken two wrong turns – A new record. From the doorway, Sandshrew could spot the jubilant Queen sitting on her throne, conversing with someone that was out of view of the doorway. _Probably Durant_ , he thought. The iron ant was still watching every move the yellow mouse made but had eased off after the sparring match from a few days ago.

"Morning, your Maj –"

Sandshrew paused when he was greeted by the sight of three pokemon standing in front of the throne. Their conversation stopped as they looked at the pokemon that had just barged in on the discussion. No more than thirty metres in front of him stood a pokemon with eyes of the deepest sapphire and a look of… Disdain? Puzzlement? He couldn't tell. As if hiding behind the bushed orange tail of the bewildered flame pokemon, Sandshrew could spy what appeared to be a leaf of lush emerald peeking out from behind. This second figure was much smaller than the other two pokemon. The third figure caught Sandshrew's interest, however. Was Sandshrew seeing things? A deep violet outline caught his eye yet he could still see the intricate walls of the throne behind it. Two vibrant eyes, partially hidden beneath what resembled the brim of a hat, looked at the ground-type in confusion. Despite its nefarious appearance, not a trace of malice gleamed from the eyes.

After a tense moment of silence, Ribombee quickly flew between the four confused pokemon.

Ignoring the monarch, the bushy-tailed fire-type walked forward. Swallowing his fear, Sandshrew spoke.

"Who're you?"

The other pokemon laughed.

"We could ask the same thing! Who are _you_?" She retorted.

"I'm the royal guard," replied the Sandshrew, puffing out his chest.

The pokemon before Sandshrew chuckled.

"Clearly, you do not understand. _We're_ the royal guards," she announced.

The translucent pokemon exchanged confused glances with the leaf pokemon. Sparing a moment, Sandshrew could get a decent glance at the previously hidden pokemon. A small leaf protruded from the tip of its head. It looked to be a similar height to Sandshrew and, when its eyes met his, he saw… himself, when he first arrived. This pokemon was uncertain. It was nervous. The moment was interrupted by the flame pokemon stepping in the way.

"I repeat my previous question. Who are you?" she snarled.

Sensing tensions were reaching breaking point between the two pokemon, Ribombee once again tried to alleviate the situation.

"Everyone, settle down! That's an order!"

In an instant, the room went silent.

"Flareon, Mismagius, and Chikorita, this is Sandshrew. He's a royal guard. Get used to him because he's staying. Sandshrew, this is Flareon, Mismagius and Chikorita. These are the other royal guards – I'll explain later," She spoke, "Thank you, royal guards. You may return to your chambers."

The three pokemon left the throne room, sneaking glances behind them as they did.

"What do you mean they're the royal guards?" He quizzed in a hushed tone, not wanting to incur the wrath of the fire-type.

"I know, I should've told you sooner. These guards were on a secret reconnaissance mission to investigate the Beedrill's hive. But you didn't think you were the _only_ royal guard, did you?"

Sandshrew paused at this. Truth be told, he hadn't considered that.  
"I trust them with my life," Ribombee continued, "They're good pokemon. Even Flareon."

Sandshrew pondered what he had been told. Ribombee, after being satisfied that she had explained everything, started to fly off.

"On that note, I'm going to go and perform my royal pollen-collecting duties."  
"Don't you have workers for that?"  
"No, silly! That's what the Queen is for!" giggled Ribombee.

After his explanation from Ribombee, Sandshrew walked through the halls to a room he had become very familiar with – the training room. Stepping through the doorway, Sandshrew entered the dome-shaped arena. Curling into a ball, he proceeded to roll around the room. Gathering the energies in the ground below him, he commanded them to take physical form on his hide. It was a technique he had learnt from Ribombee's 'guidance' ("It says here that there's some energy in the ground and you can do stuff with it"). Already, his hide felt stronger. Apparently, such a technique was referred to as 'Defence Curl'. Ramming full force into the wall, Sandshrew felt nothing from within his spherical sanctuary. A small crack now adorned the previously-bland stone wall.

Moving on, he began to feel the sensation of sand pouring out of his hide and enter the slowly-gathering tornado in the middle of the room. Focusing his mind, the sandstorm grew larger than it had before. Sandshrew grinned at this. Just over a week in this world and already he was forming Sand Tombs like he had been doing it all his life. He stared in awe at his handiwork.

An orange figure entered the room. A snide comment threw off his concentration and scattered the sand around him.

"You curl into a ball and use sand? You protect Her Majesty with _sand_? Are you a royal guard or a baby?"

Sandshrew's ears folded back at the scathing comments, as though trying to escape her verbal wrath. A silence hung over the two, two pairs of blue eyes staring at each other, an unease settling in between them.

"Prove me wrong!" she challenged.

Flareon wasted no time in launching a barrage of fire at the mouse pokemon. Thinking quickly, Sandshrew dived out of harm's way.

"What are you doing? I don't want to fight you!"

"Then leave this hive! Prove your ability to defend Ribombee!"  
Seeing there was no point persuading the Flareon otherwise, he got ready to act. Curling up into a ball mid-leap, Sandshrew started focusing. In his ball, he could feel the chaos outside. Ignoring that, he put every ounce of his strength into forming a Sand Tomb. Feeling the four paws bounding towards him, Sandshrew knew exactly where to guide the particles. The sand dug into her, leaving small scratches but Flareon was otherwise unaffected by the weak winds and sand.

Flareon reached Sandshrew and began to pry the ball open. Sandshrew gasped as he saw light begin to enter the darkness within the ball.

"Ribombee says you're a nomad. I've fought them before – they're _much_ stronger than you."

Flareon saw straight through Ribombee and Sandshrew's lie. He could feel her claws dig deep into him and rip his pitch-black haven open until their eyes met.

"You come out of nowhere and we're expected to trust you? You may have Ribombee wrapped around your claw but if you make one mistake, know that it'll be the last mistake you make."

Through the panic, Sandshrew commanded the energies of the earth to manifest once more over her hand. This had a much greater effect as the Flareon was quick to withdraw her paw. This brief pause in her onslaught was all Sandshrew needed to redirect the earth to his toughened back, increasing its resilience before ramming with all of his might into the flame pokemon. This knocked the Flareon several feet back.

However, this only fueled Flareon's rage further. Flareon let loose an inferno that engulfed Sandshrew. Sandshrew felt as though he was being cooked from within his ball. Quickly, the sand was able to smother the flames as Sandshrew unfurled, releasing the scalding hot air from within the middle of the ball. Seeing her opportunity, Flareon charged at Sandshrew, giving him the full power of her Flame Charge. Sandshrew's world became one of pain as the sensation of fire on flesh plagued him.

Unable to take any more, the mouse pokemon fell to the ground. Flareon stood in front of him, victorious.

"If you're going to defend Her Majesty, get stronger, runt. I will not let us lose Ribombee again!"

The Flareon whipped around and started to exit the room. Sandshrew, through the pain, picked up on a key word in that sentence; 'again'.

"Again? What do you mean?"

Flareon gave no response. She became a blur as the exhausted pokemon's vision failed him. Mere minutes later, he had passed out.

He awoke to the sound of a gentle whisper.

"H-hello? Sandshrew? A-are you alright?"

Fearing that Flareon was back, he peeked one eye open. Instead of the scrutinising glare of the fire-type, he was meet by the caring glance of the grass-type from earlier.

"…Chikorita, right? I'm fine, thanks. I got my behind handed to me by Flareon and now I don't even have the energy to move."

Chikorita nervously chuckled a bit before speaking.

"Sh-she can be a bit… erm…"

"Serious?"

"Yeah, that. Can... can I sit n-next to you? I-if you want, of course," She stammered, avoiding eye contact.

Sandshrew, from his place on the ground, shrugged his shoulders.

"I can't and won't stop you. What brings you here?"

"I came to practice a bit. Flareon says I need to get stronger…"

"She said the same thing to me," noted Sandshrew. He hesitated before he spoke again.

"Could you show me what you can do?"

Chikorita's face went pale at this.

"O-okay…"

Sandshrew watched, fascinated by this pokemon. As she began to twirl her headleaf around to create a small flurry of leaves in front of Sandshrew (not at him, thank Arceus), Sandshrew saw himself. Both of them had much to learn and were not particularly strong.

Afterwards, Chikorita shifted her feet around under his gaze.  
"I'm not as g-good when people are watching."

Sandshrew was quick to refute that.

"What you did seemed quite impressive. I have no doubt that you can grow to be as strong as Flareon. I mean, look at me. Still lying on the ground. I'm a ground-type yet all I do is curl up and use sand. We're in the same boat, here."

Chikorita went to Sandshrew's side.

"How long have you been a royal guard?"

"N-not too long. Flareon and Mismagius have been here for ages."

"Definitely in the same boat," mused the mouse pokemon. He turned his head to look at her. Her headleaf hid half of her face from his view.

"What if we both train here? We'll both get better and stronger," Sandshrew paused to look at his unmoving body, "Not now, of course, but what about tomorrow?"

There was a small pause and then a quiet answer.

"O-okay then. I-I'm going to go now," she said as she headed for the door. After Chikorita disappeared from his view, he saw her leaf poke back into view.

"Sh-shall I get you some berries?"

"That'd be appreciated. Thanks!"

After she left once more, Sandshrew chuckled to himself. Maybe today wasn't such a bad day, after all.

* * *

Sandshrew finds out there are more royal guards, some of which aren't so welcoming...

I _loved_ writing this chapter! One of my favourite things to do is think of and implement characters, how they react with other characters, how they act, and more. It's so fun to think of these things. I created a diagram with arrows showing how the main five characters interact with each other (Forming a pentagram... whoops). I love bringing characters to life through my words. Did I do well? Chikorita's a personal favourite character of mine, so far.

Thank you for your kind words, Vulpix199. It may only be five words but it still means the world to me as it means someone is liking my fic enough to leave a review.

Lastly, I'm still not too sure on whether or not I should let my friends know about my fanfics. Any input would be appreciated.

Feel free to leave a review but you are under no obligation.


	4. Chapter 4: Shaky Confidence

Uploaded 08.07.17

Chapter 4 is here! I have nothing special to say, so I shall not stall further. Enjoy!

* * *

 ** _Chapter 4: Day 17 –_** ** _Shaky Confidence, Unshaking Ground_**

The emerald sea of grass that lay at his feet as the soft surface comforted the mouse pokemon. He had counted seventeen days in this world and he had settled in. The gentle breeze caressed his face and seeped into the gaps between Sandshrew's plates. Looking behind him stood the now-familiar entrance to the hive in the distance. In all honesty, Sandshrew didn't remember the last time he had gone outside. Too much time had been spent performing his duties as a royal guard or training. Quickly whipping up a pile of sand in front of him, Sandshrew was satisfied that his abilities had grown and he was now more capable of protecting Her Majesty, Ribombee.

But he still felt empty. Looking up to the sky that was unspoiled by clouds, Sandshrew lamented. Was there a way to return to his own world? How would he achieve such a thing? These questions tormented his brain but not as much as one big question that lingered like a foul smell at the back of his mind. It made him think and it tore him apart to know he lacked an answer; If he could go back…

…would he?

Although it had been merely seventeen days, he had felt like he had lived at the hive all of his life. In a way, this was true. Sandshrew didn't remember much from his old life, save for the fact that he was human. But the question remained. Would he give up everything – Ribombee, the hive, Chikorita, this world – for a chance to go back?

Sandshrew's mind continued to wander. Feeling the ground underneath him, he furrowed his brow. Concentrating hard, he commanded the energies in the earth below to manifest a tremor. Time past and the ground stayed as still as ever. Despite his best efforts, he was still unable to get the ground to shake in any way. Flareon's words echoed in his mind; _You protect Her Majesty with_ sand?

"Are you a royal guard or a baby?" Sandshrew mumbled. In the eyes of time on this world, he truly was a baby. If he could make the ground shake, no matter how small, he would know that he was able to protect Her Majesty.

His mind collected itself from the dark place it had placed him as he turned back and headed for the hive. He had been lost in thought for so long. All night and the better half of today, in fact. Focusing on the speck in the distance that was the hive, Sandshrew walked back.

Upon returning, Sandshrew saw several Cutiefly working on a portion of the hive. Scaffolding adorned the wall. Scaffolding that had not been there when he had left. Hurrying inside, Sandshrew darted for the throne room. Bursting through the doors, he saw the three royal guards in front of him. Ribombee peeked over the heads of the guards to see her friend.

"Sandshrew! I'm so glad you're safe!" Her tone revealed an obvious outburst of relief.

Sandshrew walked up to stand alongside Chikorita. Over the previous days, the two of them had grown closer. Pity he couldn't say the same for the other two guards.

"What's happening?" He whispered to her.

Chikorita moved her headleaf away from her face.

"Th-there was an attack on the hive," She replied.

Sandshrew's eyes grew wide at that.  
"What!? An attack?" He blurted out.

Three pairs of eyes fell on him, one of which was angry.

"Where were you?" The question was more of a scolding remark than a question.

"I… I was…"

Sandshrew looked away. The one time he left the hive…

"It doesn't matter. You would've been no help anyway," said Flareon, her tone as cutting as ever.

Chikorita objected to this but kept silent. Ribombee, however, was more vocal than the grass-type.

"Where he was doesn't matter. What matters is that he'll help us now, right?"

Sandshrew tilted his head.

"How _can_ I help?"

Ribombee rolled her eyes at his pessimism.

"We need everyone we can get. Durant's pitching in, too. We're launching a counter-attack on the Beedrills."

There was a stunned silence.

"The Beedrills?"

Flareon took her turn to roll her eyes.

"Are you deaf? They're the ones that attacked the hive. Didn't you see the wall on the way back in?"

Sandshrew took a deep breath, trying to ignore the piercing sets of eyes on him.

"I-I'm in."

Ribombee smiled at this.

"I knew I could count on you. The rest of you should know you can count on him, too. We get ready for action tomorrow."

As the royal guards walked off, Sandshrew stayed.

"Things are moving too fast for me. What's happening?"

Ribombee landed on the floor in front of him before gesturing for him to follow her.

"This feud's been going on for a while now. It started when my mother was on the throne… I think. In all honesty, I'm not too sure of the facts. All I know is that we're supposed to hate each other. I just don't get it. We're going over to the hive and we'll talk to the king of the Beedrills," She paused to let out a breath of reluctance, "With force, if necessary."

Sandshrew nodded.

"Sounds like you know as much as I do," he chuckled, before asking the question he had asked too much, "But how could _I_ help?"

"Sandshrew, what's gotten into you lately? You _can_ help us out. Is Flareon saying bad things about you again?"

"Ribombee, I've tried and practiced but I can't move the ground at all."

Ribombee stopped for a moment. Her tone turned to a serious one.

"Sandshrew, we shouldn't be making rash conclusions too soon but I have a theory. Hear me out on this. Ground-types manipulate the energies in the ground by commanding the energies beneath them, correct?"

He merely shrugged his shoulders at that.

"You're the one with that book. On an off-note, why do you have that book?"

Ribombee ignored his irrelevant question.

"Humans lack this power, correct? I think that, in order to move the earth beneath us, the energies need to communicate with _you_ , as well. It's not a one-way thing like with sand. Now, this is only a possibility, but what if it can't 'talk' with you because you have a human spirit? It can't communicate because you're not a true ground-type, basically."

A silence lingered between them, and Sandshrew stared at Ribombee, expressionless. She soon realised what she had just said. Putting her hand to her mouth, she quickly tried to dissolve the situation.

"Wait, no! I don't mean in _that_ way."

The damage had been done. Sandshrew looked down before mumbling;

"I'm a ground-type that can't control the ground. What kind of royal guard does that make me?"

"It makes you… I don't know, honestly."

"…I'd better prepare for tomorrow, then. Got to make sure my sand is… I don't know, sharp."

Sandshrew's voice was devoid of its usual enthusiasm as he mocked his own abilities.

"Sandshrew…"

* * *

Aww, Sandshrew. He's not in the happiest of places right now, is he?

This chapter presented a bit of a challenge to me. Part of me thinks that maybe this chapter has a tone that is too sombre, relative to the previous chapters, especially after the optimistic finishing line of the previous chapter. What do you think?

Also, **important announcement**. This story is going to go on temporary hiatus. It won't be a long time, even for someone as slow as myself, but I wanted to let you all know. I promise you that the story will continue - I love it too much to let it collect dust. I always keep my promises, which is why I make them very rarely. The reason is that, as you know (probably), I have been considering letting my friends know of my Fanfictions. I have decided that I will let them know, but first I must do a bit of 'spring cleaning' of my fanfictions. I improved my _ancient_ story, Vylon's Demise, and I intend on re-writing and completing Dragunities Rise Again as the quality of that fic is appalling in comparison to my other works (that story is almost as old). I'll publish the next chapter as soon as I have finished DRA, okay?


	5. Chapter 5: King Beedrill

Uploaded 22.07.17

I'm back from my short hiatus! I'm pleased to announce that my Dragunity story is finished and I am happy with the result. It went in a slightly different direction than expected.  
Enjoy Chapter 5!

* * *

Chapter 5: Day 18 – King Beedrill

The royal guards advanced in silence. The anticipation of battle lingered around the group. Even so, there was an extra worry that weighed on a certain mouse pokemon. Sandshrew kept his head down as he walked on, lagging behind the others. Occasionally, he would see Ribombee check behind her, likely to make sure he was still there. Chikorita slowed her pace to be next to Sandshrew.

"Wh-what's wrong?"

"How am I supposed to help you guys when all I have is sand? What can that do? Make them feel a bit uncomfortable for a couple of minutes?"

Chikorita giggled at this, a rare sound.

"Y-you've been listening to Flareon, haven't you? I've seen you in action and…" There was a small pause, "…Y-you were… pretty g-good."

"You're too kind, Chikorita. I reckon this Beedrill is going to be trembling after you're through with him," said Sandshrew nonchalantly.

"I-I doubt that. Yo-you'd make him tremble, though."

"I highly doubt that."

The two of them chuckled at that.

"M-maybe, if we worked together – if that's a-alright with you – we could do that."

Sandshrew tilted his head in consideration.

"Now that's more believable, Chikorita!" He grinned. As he looked up, he caught the eye of Ribombee, who smiled at him. He returned the gesture.

Flareon noticed Her Majesty turning around and also did so. Upon seeing the ground-type with the grass-type, she rolled her eyes. It was at that moment that Sandshrew noticed that he couldn't see Mismagius anywhere. He had yet to ever speak to her. Almost as though she had read his thoughts, the royal guard appeared next to Sandshrew. Startled by the sudden appearance of the ghost, Sandshrew tried to talk to her.

"H-hi…"

Mismagius waved a hand at this but remained silent. In fact, Sandshrew soon noticed she made no sound at all.

"…Ho-how are you?"

Mismagius appeared to chuckle, but, again, no sound could be heard. Looking to Chikorita for an explanation, the tiny leaf pokemon gave him one.

"She's a ghost."

"I-I can tell," he said in a monotone voice. Turning his voice to a whisper, he continued:

"Why is she silent?"

"A-all ghost-types are like that. Y-you've never met one?"

Sandshrew shook his head.

"Err… okay. Basically, the ghost-types are… d-dead. I g-guess that was obvious, sorry."

A nod from the Mismagius confirmed this.

"H-however, most of them can use Psychic abilities, r-right?" She asked the Mismagius. Another nod.

"S-so they can talk with telepathy. So, is s-she not talking to you right now?"

There was a moment of silence.

"…Sorry, I can't hear any voices."

Chikorita looked at both of them in confusion while Mismagius stared at him with a furrowed brow, as if concentrating.

"Still nothing," he said, shaking his head.

Mismagius shrugged her shoulders before turning to Chikorita. Sandshrew didn't know what she was talking to Chikorita about, but she looked quite confused about the situation.

"M-Mismagius says she can't seem to talk with you, for some reason. But she should be able to, right? Telepathy works by talking directly to a pokemon's spirit, or so I've heard. Mismagius, you've been able to talk with ground-types before, right?"

Mismagius nodded. Sandshrew had figured it out. If Ribombee's logic was true, Mismagius was unable to talk with Sandshrew because he lacked a ground-type spirit. Thinking, looked to the ghost-type.  
"Can my thoughts reach you?"

Mismagius nodded once more.  
Can you hear all of my thoughts, or just some?

"She told me to tell you 'just some'," whispered Chikorita, "What does that mean? I-if you don't m-mind me asking, that is…"

"I was wondering how much of my thoughts she could hear, that's all," replied Sandshrew.

Shortly afterwards, Chikorita giggled a bit. Sandshrew looked at her questionably.

Chikorita swept her headleaf out of her face.

"M-Mismagius was wondering i-if you were having any… bad thoughts."

"I assure you, I'm not," Said Sandshrew with a blush.

"Beedrill hive ahoy!" called Ribombee. This was what they were all waiting for.

"Have you ever done anything like this before, Chikorita?"

The pokemon in question shook her head while her headleaf drooped to cover part of her face again.

"What's the plan, Ribombee?" asked Sandshrew to Ribombee. Sandshrew's chest was puffed out and he was standing up straight. He was still dwarfed by Mismagius, however.

"That's the Sandshrew I know! Okay, guards, here's what'll happen. I'm going to go in and ask why they did what they did. I'd like to get to the bottom of this peacefully, but things might turn ugly, which is why you're all here."

Ribombee's voice was regal and authoritative – A sign that this situation was serious.

As they entered, there was nothing. Not a sound, not a single Beedrill. Ribombee whispered to the guards;

"Flareon, I need light. Mismagius, is there anyone around?"

Flareon nodded and her tail began to glow with embers. Mismagius quickly darted into one of the walls. She returned soon after and nodded her head, pointing straight ahead. Sandshrew observed from the back of the group and saw how well-coordinated they were. Ribombee was more than a cheerful soul, it seemed.

"w-what do we do? I-if I may ask, that is," asked a quiet voice from next to Sandshrew. He didn't need any light from Flareon to know it was Chikorita speaking.

"You two stay alert."

"There might be a Weedle that wants to play in the sand," mocked Flareon.

Ribombee was quick to defend her royal guard, ironically.

"You'll be surprised what he can do, Flareon."

There were no more words exchanged as they continued on.

The corridor slowly opened up to a large room. In the middle of the room was a throne carved out of stone. Looking around, no-one was able to see anything or anyone. Flareon shot a small Ember skywards to see what would be revealed. Above them, on the ceiling, was a single Beedrill. His wings were tattered and his stinger was sharpened to the point of perfection.

"I was told you were coming. I wasn't told why, though. Why are you here?" His voice echoed through the room, eerily calm, as he dropped to the floor and approached Ribombee. He towered over Ribombee, as well as Sandshrew and Chikorita. His eyes stared at them, unblinking.

"Are you going to speak?"

Ribombee cleared her throat before hovering above the ground so they were at an equal height.  
"Your hive attacked us. I don't want to start a war but I'll do what's necessary for my hive."

Sandshrew was starting to see why Ribombee was in charge.

"You're outnumbered, too," added Flareon, intensifying her flames.

Mismagius floated upwards, looking around at the run-down stone architecture. She made a myriad of hand gestures towards him.

"I don't require, nor do I desire, your help. I'm perfectly capable of rebuilding my hive, thank you," he replied, waving her question away.

"Anyway, my hive attacked you, you say? I have no such recollection of the event. Perhaps it is the work of another hive?"

"I know you did it. I know your hive's pheromones like the back of my hand, Beedrill."

Ribombee was in no mood for games anymore.

"Strange. I ordered no such attack. My hive was also attacked by… something. I have seen every pokemon under the sun and I didn't know what it was. Decimated my guards. Next thing I knew, I woke up on my throne a couple of days afterwards. I could not have issued an attack."

"Don't lie to us!" shouted Flareon. Her flames were growing bright enough to reveal the entire room.

"I do not lie, not even to my rivals. It is an underhanded way of obtaining the upper hand. I shall request you leave me now. I do not need your false accusations in my hive," Beedrill turned around and walked off, wings fluttering as he unsteadily began to fly.

"We'll fight you for the truth!" called Flareon. Beedrill stopped dead in his tracks. Within a second, he was face to face with Flareon.

"Is that a threat?"

Ribombee quickly got between them.

"It isn't – her words don't represe –"

"– Then I suggest you keep your guards in check. You may leave, now," said Beedrill, sternly. Even with tensions mounting, he maintained his demeanor.

From behind Ribombee, Flareon spoke again.

"Coward!"

"Did your guard just question my valour? I do not appreciate that."

A light began to glow from the Beedrill. The royal guards and Ribombee all took a step back. The light continued to shine, growing to be brighter than Flareon's until it was like staring at the sun. A small breeze that blew through the area turned into a powerful gale as the light disappeared. Where Beedrill stood was a menacing bee that loomed over them all. The arm stingers were now noticeably larger and the abdomen was larger, too. Two more stingers replaced his legs, all sharp enough to cut anything in half. The wings were more streamlined and were no longer torn.

Immediately, Flareon blasted it with an Incinerate, only for the now-mega-evolved Beedrill to evade it. He was moving faster than the eye could register. Beedrill jetted right for the guards, folding in his stingers to reach speeds beyond normal limits. Everyone was able to leap out of the way and the Beedrill hit the stone. Looking at where they were, they could see cracks and rubble as the resulting shockwave knocked them all of their feet. Flareon and Chikorita quickly took cover behind a fallen pillar.

"What do we do!?" yelled Flareon. There was no way they could defeat such a foe.

Ribombee was in the air, trying to think of what to do while holding him off. Dazzling Gleam proved ineffective and her other attacks were just as useless. Mismagius was wildly firing Shadow Balls at the bee, trying to get a hit. However, the Mega Beedrill was too fast. He would seemingly disappear only to reappear at the other side of the room.

Ribombee's pollen just couldn't hit the Beedrill. He was too quick for her. Suddenly, Sandshrew had an idea. It was a long shot, but it was all they had. They needed the pollen to reach everywhere in the room.

"Ribombee! Keep using Spore!"  
"It doesn't work!" she shouted in reply.

"It will! I have an idea. Cover me!"

Sandshrew's vision grew to nothing as he curled into a ball. The last he saw was Ribombee and Mismagius trying to fight the Beedrill while Flareon fired shots from a distance. He needed to do this and he needed to do it quickly. Hearing his breathing and nothing else, he focused his mind. He was safe inside his ball, he could do this. Gathering his thoughts, he commanded the energies in the sand to manifest. Pools of sand formed around him while Beedrill was distracted. He had heard of a technique known as Sandstorm. If he was right, he needed to perform a Sand Tomb on a much larger scale. Using every ounce of his will, the sands began to whirl around the room. Ribombee continued to use her Spores. She quickly figured out what he was doing. The Sandstorm would spread the Spores around the entire room! Within a minute, everyone was taking cover from the intense Sandstorm raging, except for the Beedrill. Having lost all reasoning, he continued his assault. The Spore mixed with the Sandstorm and soon, the Beedrill's actions were slowing. His attacks lost their ferocity as his energy petered out. Soon, he was on the floor, asleep.

Ribombee flew over to the yellow ball and knocked on his hide. Sandshrew unfurled himself. The scarf-wearing bee put a finger to her lips and pointed to the sleeping Beedrill.

"Well done," she whispered.

One by one, the two of them awoke the sleeping royal guards. As they continued to stare at the sleeping King, he left his mega-evolved state. They began to leave when they were stopped. Hearing an unusual sound, they turned to see something else leave. Whatever it was, Ribombee had never seen anything like it. A blur of white was seen as it made a hasty exit. After leaving the hive in silence, Ribombee chuckled to herself quietly.  
"What is it?" asked Flareon.

"Y'know how you said that sand can't defend me?"

The conversation didn't need to continue to understand what was being implied. That afternoon, Sandshrew walked at the front of the group, beside the one he guarded, with renewed vigor.

* * *

The guards and Ribombee fight the king of a rival hive! Sandshrew uses his head to get through the situation, and what was it they saw?

I'm happy with how this chapter turned out. It took me a while, I always struggle with action scenes - my style is more character-focused writing. I enjoy writing little exchanges between characters more than fight scenes but I do still enjoy writing fight scenes nonetheless.

I should mention this now, before I get a review mentioning it. I'm aware that Sandshrew is based of an armadillo and/or a pangolin, but the average person doesn't know what a pangolin is and Sandshrew is the 'mouse pokemon' in the pokedex. Though, calling Sandshrew/Slash the pangolin pokemon would be a great way of raising awareness for the most trafficked animal on the planet (and my favourite animal), it's not what Gamefreak did. Also, Fanfiction's spellcheck feature doesn't even recognise pangolin as a word.

Also, my friends are now aware of my Fanfiction name. I'm not sure how much they've read yet, though. If you are reading this, I want to hear what you think of my stories.


	6. Chapter 6: Breaking the Ice

Uploaded 13.08.17

Chapter 6 is here! I'm sorry for the long wait, a lot of shenanigans happened. However, I shall make it up to you - the next chapter will be a much shorter wait. Also, this is my favourite chapter so far!

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6: Day 29 – Breaking the Ice

"Snow!"

Sandshrew awoke to the glee-filled voice of his Monarch cheering down the halls. Getting to his feet, he looked out of the window. His morning grogginess was alleviated by the breathtaking view of a snow-white blanket covering every inch of the meadow. Already, he had spied several pokemon enjoying the layer of snow. Sandshrew left his room, narrowly avoiding the speeding bee.

"Excited, are we?" asked Sandshrew, amused by her behaviour.

"Yeah! It's been too long since it last snowed. C'mon, let's go!" She eagerly pulled Sandshrew along. Despite her small size and delicate appearance, she was surprisingly strong at pulling the mouse pokemon along. As they reached the entrance to hive, Ribombee turned back. Sandshrew saw her stifle a giggle for a brief moment.

"Sandshrew, you're a ground-type, right?" she asked, a sly tone in her voice.

"…Kind of," shrugged Sandshrew.

"You _do_ know what happens to ground-types in the snow, right? Their blood freezes and their skin turns to liquid, only to be frozen in the cold temperatures… The look on your face! You didn't _actually_ believe me, did you?"  
Sandshrew's grave look upon his face disagreed with Ribombee.  
"I'm sorry, Sandshrew. Seriously though, keep warm."  
And with that, they both ventured outside.

Sandshrew scooped up a small mound of snow and used his claws to make a perfectly spherical shape. He aimed and threw the projectile at the one he was sworn to protect. Her altitude dropped as the snowball hit with a _thunk_ , causing Ribombee to look back at him with a grin on her face.  
"You're on, Sandshrew," she joked as she darted to the ground to pick up some snow. Soon, the snowball war was well under way. Ribombee nimbly dodged quite a few of the incoming snowballs, while Sandshrew just used his calloused and armoured hide to protect him. The battleground of crisp whiteness was filled with the joyous laughter of the two pokemon. Shaking the snow from his head, Sandshrew lobbed another snowball at Ribombee, who narrowly avoided it.

In the distance, another pokemon watched the two playing. His chilled breath reached forward, as if yearning to join them. Slowly, he inched forward, his goal in his mind. Walking closer to the yellow mouse, he seemed oddly familiar.

The yellow mouse glanced over to see… a mouse pokemon. Skin of chilled blue, it was like looking into a wintry mirror. The two locked gazes as they saw each other. One of them moved an arm; the other moved theirs. One began to circle around, staring in astonishment, and the other followed suit. Ribombee paused her assault to gaze at the spectacle. Flying over, she looked to one mouse pokemon, and then the other.

"Guys, I'm seeing double!" she giggled.

Sandshrew looked over to his newly-found frozen twin, who did the same, and they shared the laugh.

"Nice to meet you, Sandshrew," greeted Ribombee at the ice-type.

"I've heard about pokemon like you. Certain pokemon, in special places, grow… differently," she muttered, partly to herself, partly for her royal guard's sake, "I don't know how else to put it," she shrugged.

"That explanation's good enough for me," grinned the Sandshrew.

"Well, I would ask if you want to join us in the snowball fight, but then it'd be two on one…" said Ribombee, who began to look around, "unless, of course…" she trailed off as she whizzed inside.

"Where's she gone?" asked the igloo-like Sandshrew, scratching his hood-like head.

"Your guess is as good as mine," replied Sandshrew. As they watched the entrance to the hive, they heard voices from within, growing louder. Sandshrew could just make out the voice of a certain shy grass-type being persuaded by the (comparably louder) voice of the fairy-type.

"C'mon, it'll be fun! It's just me, Sandshrew and one stranger."

A few seconds later, the familiar outline of a headleaf peeked out from behind the entrance. Ribombee whizzed back out and next to Sandshrew.

"I couldn't find Mismagius and I didn't think you'd be willing to go with or against Flareon, so here's Chikorita. She's a better shot with a snowball than you'd think," said Ribombee to her royal guard. Slowly and steadily, Chikorita made her way to the small group.

"So, who's teaming up with who? I reckon the two Sandshrews go on one team, and you and I go on the other," she said, pointing to Chikorita.

"It'll be very easy to remember who's on whose team. We throw at anything that isn't Sandshrew, you throw at anything that _is_ Sandshrew," chortled the ice-type Sandshrew.  
"Shall we begin?"

Mere seconds later and the meadow had become a warzone of crisp whiteness. Deadly balls of fluffy white snow were hurled at each other without remorse between bouts of laughter. Being from a land of frost, the Sandshrew had little trouble with hitting his opponents with the expertise and grace of the frigid north. His yellow counterpart, however, struggled to hit Chikorita or Ribombee. The remnants of several snowballs stuck to his hide as the fight continued.

Chikorita, on the other hand, was able to quickly build a bit of cover from which she could safely throw from using her headleaf. From previous experience playing with Ribombee, Chikorita's aim was true to her targets, hitting either of the Sandshrews square in the face on multiple occasions.

Ribombee took a much different approach to their wintry brawl. She darted from cover to cover, quickly zipping down to collect some snow before hitting a Sandshrew at point-blank range. A couple of times, her close-quarters approach led to a freezing sphere of snow hitting her. The meadow was at the liveliest it had ever been – Four friends sharing fun in the snow-covered ground. There were no worries, which Sandshrew appreciated greatly. No Flareon. No ground-shaking. No thoughts of going home. All that mattered was that moment. All that mattered was spotting the telltale headleaf or hearing the buzzing sound of an incoming miniature blitzkrieg.

Looking all around, Sandshrew saw his familiar-looking frosty friend lobbing a snowball at the rough location of the elusive grass-type. Seeing that Chikorita was suitably under pressure, Sandshrew turned his efforts to the evasive monarch. His ears detected the faintest sound in the distance that quickly grew louder. Aiming it carefully, Sandshrew held the snow in his hand before releasing it straight into the path of Ribombee. At the same time, said bug-type hit Sandshrew in the chest with a mound of snow, eliciting laughter from both sides.

"Sandshrew! I've got an idea!" called out the yellow mouse pokemon, gesturing for him to come over.

"What if… I cover you in snow and I shove you towards Chikorita?" The ice-type thought for a moment, a mischievous grin forming on his face.

"Let's do it!"

Without wasting a second, the ice-type was curled up into a dome shape. Sandshrew worked quickly to pack snow over the top of him. With the haste bestowed onto him by the impish plan, the deed was done in a little over a minute. Sparing a glance around, he saw noprojectiles being hurled, nor did he hear the buzzing of winds. Strange…

Shrugging his shoulders, he looked to where Chikorita's headleaf could be seen. Positioning himself, he began to slide his friend across the ground, gathering speed. Soon, the igloo-shaped pokemon was going faster than the royal guard could keep up in the direction of Chikorita.

Soon afterwards, Sandshrew felt a massive ball of snow slam into his side and he tumbled to the ground. Looking at what had hit him, he realised it was the size of Ribombee. Squinting into the pile of snow, he saw a scarf.

"Ribombee?"  
The cluster giggled before revealing his Monarch.

"That was awesome!" she proclaimed.

"I had a great time with you guys. I'd best be off now, sadly. Don't worry, I'll come back next time it snows here, yeah?"

The ice-type Sandshrew turned away to walk off as he said his goodbyes. Everyone could agree that they had a great time enjoying the snow.

It was only as their new friend left for the northern mountains that Sandshrew could truly notice how cold he was feeling. He meekly scooted next to Ribombee and whispered in her ear;

"Is it normal that I can't feel my hands?"

Of course, he recalled it being normal for a human. But was it different for a pokemon? Specifically, a ground-type? His question was answered with an alarmed look in Ribombee's eyes. Her eyes quickly darted to Chikorita, who was also shivering.

"We should head inside now," Ribombee suggested. The two quivering pokemon agreed silently as they began the short trek back inside.

Ribombee flew a couple of metres ahead, not letting her eyes leave the sight of her two guards. After a tediously slow amount of time, they were inside. As soon as they were in, Ribombee flew off once more.

"Wait here!" She called halfway down the corridor as she left.

Ribombee needed to find Flareon. She knew that the fire-type would not be pleased but her warmth would be better than nothing.

As Chikorita waited with Sandshrew, she found herself slowly edging towards the other royal guard. For warmth, of course.

As they heard four paws going down the corridor, Sandshrew never thought he'd be so relieved to see Flareon. As usual, his greeting was meet with a scowl.

"Who thought it was a good idea for Chikorita to play outside in the snow?" she questioned patronizingly.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Her accusing gaze turned back to Sandshrew. He merely shook his head.

"This way," she ordered bluntly, as she headed off for a room. Both of them followed to stay with the source of heat.

As they entered the room that Flareon had moved to, they sat down in silence. Chikorita sat beside Flareon quite contently, wrapping Flareon's tail around herself, whereas Sandshrew awkwardly sat down with a decent gap between him and Flareon.

"Really, Sandshrew? Stop being immature about it. The closer you sit, the sooner you can leave. Get it?"

Unsure of himself, he inched closer to the condescending fire-type. It stayed silent for what seemed like hours as they felt the warmth slowly return to their long-forgotten limbs.

Flareon lowered her voice, as to not wake the sleeping form within her tail.

"Sandshrew, why'd you feel it was a good idea to let a grass-type play out in the snow?

Her voice lacked its usual unforgiving edge. Instead, Sandshrew detected a hint of worry within her words but didn't delve into the matter for fear of being roasted by the flame pokemon (verbally and literally). Despite the quiet tones, Chikorita was a light sleeper.

"D-don't blame him. It – it was worth it," said the drowsy grass-type.

"Chikorita?" the fire-type was slightly startled by the small voice.

"But he's the reason why you…" her voice quietened a little, as though a small decrease in volume would stop Sandshrew from overhearing her concern, "…could've… died."

Sandshrew stayed silent through this. She could have died?

"I-I would've been fine," she replied.

"No. No you wouldn't have."  
"I-I was with S-Sandshrew and Ribombee."

"So, it was _her_ idea," mumbled Flareon.

"N-no! That's n-not what I meant. I m-meant that they could take care of me. S-Sandshrew, he's… he's m-more capable than you'd think, and… he… I…." Chikorita said, face still hidden in the tail fur of her fire-type friend. Looking over her shoulder, Flareon sighed.

"She's fallen asleep," she whispered to Sandshrew.

From that exchange, Sandshrew had picked up on one thing.

"You care about her, don't you?"

Flareon was caught off-guard by the abruptness of the question.

"Like a sister," she responded, softly, before regaining her tough exterior, "what's it to you?"

Sandshrew shook his head.

"No reason. I was just curious."

"You can leave now."

Sandshrew looked to Flareon.

"You've been sitting next to me for the past fifteen minutes. You must be better by now."

Sandshrew got to his feet. He was pleased to find that he could once more feel the ground beneath them. Even if the ground couldn't hear him, though…

He was distracted from his thoughts by Flareon who had fired a tiny ember at his feet.

"Call it a farewell gift," she said with the same amount of feeling as was in Sandshrew's fingers mere minutes ago.

As he rounded the corner, he heard her voice once more.

"Sandshrew?"

He nervously peeked his head around the corner, expecting another farewell gift.

"Thanks. For being there for Chikorita. Not just today."

"No problem," he whispered as he left once more.

"That doesn't mean I no longer have my eye on you," Flareon added, still careful to keep her voice quiet for the sleeping Chikorita.

Sandshrew looked out of the windows as he passed through the hallway. Everywhere, he could see their tracks. He saw the remnants of their fun. These remnants would melt away, never to be seen again, but the memories would stay. How long would Sandshrew be able to stay in this world, however? Would he be the snow, or the memories? Gone in the morning, or staying forever?

These were questions that Sandshrew dreaded to hear the answer to. However, it wouldn't be long until Sandshrew would learn whether he was the memories, or the snow…

* * *

Sandshrew and the others have fun in the snow and Flareon isn't quite the ice queen she seemed...

I _really_ enjoyed writing this chapter! As I've stated before, my forte is character-based scenes. I think I did alright. The idea of Alolan Sandshrew making a cameo had been rolling around my brain for a while. And so had the idea for the ground-type to play in the snow. This chapter may have had little to do with the plot, but I think it developed character, which s just as important.

Also, a big thank you to my friend who has agreed to beta-read my chapters! They did an excellent job and, judging by their comments, they enjoyed the chapter, too.

Until next time!


	7. Chapter 7: Theoretically Homeward Bound

Uploaded 28.08.17

Chapter 7 is here! Sorry for the long wait, I wasn't able to write anything for a while and I'm trying to keep a bufferzone, just in case. I'm not too happy with the chapter title so it may change. Regardless, enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 7: Day 40 – Theoretically Homeward Bound

"Morning, your Majesty," yawned Sandshrew, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. As his vision focused, he saw her questioning gaze.

"Morning?" she asked.

"…How long was I asleep?"

Ribombee rolled her eyes.

"It's the afternoon, Drowzee-head," she quipped. Sandshrew took his position standing next to his Queen. The two of them passed the time with idle talk about several different things.

Their meaningless conversation was brought to a halt by the opening of the doors. A small pokemon, a Servine, from the looks of it, darted into the room. He swaggered up to the throne before kneeling.

"I've got a letter for her Majesty," he said. The smallest glint of a smile snuck its way onto Ribombee's face. She had a sneaking suspicion what this letter was about, and decided to act accordingly.

"Please hand the letter to my guard. I shall read it later," she instructed, using her authoritative voice. The grass-type handed the paper to the mouse pokemon who was awaiting it with an open hand. Without another word, the Servine scurried back through the doors and out of the hive.

"Well, Sandshrew? Do you want to read it?" She just about managed to smother the anticipation from her face. Sandshrew looked down. He breathed in, as though he was about to read it out, only to close his mouth upon seeing the letter. He stared at it, confused.

"What's the hold-up?" Ribombee had noticed his pause.

Fluttering to over his shoulder, Ribombee scanned the contents of the letter.

Mismagius, who had been keenly observing the scene unfold, listened silently.

"I-I can't read this…" he nervously whispered. He was met with a cacophony of unrecognisable letters when he looked at the letter.

"Really? It's a bit scribbly, but not unreadable," she muttered, looking at the chicken scratches on the paper.

"What? That's not what I meant. I don't know what each symbol means. I guess you pokemon have a different thing to humans," he answered in a hushed tone, careful not to alert the nearby ghost-type.

"This way, Sandshrew," said Ribombee as she began to hover out of the room with the yellow pokemon following close behind.

"Well, I put out a couple of feelers to the pokemon city a week ago. It helps to have friends in high places. I managed to get hold of an old friend, Metagross," said Ribombee, proud of her actions.

"It took him a week to respond?"

"Also, Metagross does nothing but work, so he probably only read my letter yesterday," laughed Ribombee.

"Anyway, the letter says that Metagross can help you get home. He's a _genius_. If anyone can help you, he can," informed Ribombee as she folded the letter up once more.

"So, what do we do now?"

"Well, we got to the pokemon city, silly!"

Flareon walked past the door at that point.

"Flareon! Just the pokemon I wanted to see," cheered Ribombee.

"I can trust you to hold down the fort while we're away, right?"

Flareon took a cursory glance at Sandshrew.

"Where're you going?"

"To the pokemon city," responded Ribombee.

"Are you going to trade him in for a better guard?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Sandshrew's staying, Flareon. Deep down, you have a soft spot for him, don't you?"

Flareon didn't answer the question, merely looking away and grunting in response.

After that, the mouse and the bee walked out of the hive.

"The city is just over the hill," said Ribombee as they disembarked from the hive.

"So… when you said, 'over the hill', you meant 'over several mountains'," said Sandshrew, out of breath after climbing up another hill.

"We're almost there!" she called, ignoring his comment. The pokemon city came into view. A sight of picturesque wooden rooves and stone towers enticed them onwards. From a distance, it looked like a cosy little town of bustling stone streets and antique lights of some kind lighting up each street corner in the dying light of the day.

"Last one down's a rotten Exeggcute!"

Through his growing exhaustion, Sandshrew curled up into a ball, intent on beating Ribombee at her own challenge. Movement was as quick and easy as the breeze as he descended the hill. Ribombee was close behind, her wings carrying her as fast as she could go to keep up with the ball.

As the town grew closer, the two of them slowed down, as to not barrel into a resident. Unfurling, Sandshrew looked back to see Ribombee catching up to him. He waved at her.

"We're here now," assured Ribombee.

"So, where are we going?"

Ribombee pointed at a large stone spire in the middle of the city. Squinting, Sandshrew could see various chemicals perched upon a stand on the windowsill.

Navigating through the thinning crowds of pokemon, Sandshrew squeezed through, taking a moment every so often to take in all of the sights. Vibrant market stalls. The smells. Freshly-baked pastries. The sounds. Footsteps on gravel. Sandshrew wondered why he didn't come here sooner.

A short trek through the streets, taking turns through the endlessly winding streets, Sandshrew saw the entrance to the spire. On several occasions, Ribombee had to look behind her and check that the ground-type was still following behind. Soon, they had entered into the spotless science lab. Sandshrew marveled at the modern architecture as well as all of the complicated apparatus on the shelves.

"Metagross? We're here!" Ribombee called up the stairs as she flew up the spire. A voice called out from the top.

"Don't come up, I'll come down in a bit!" The quadruped began to descend using the stairs, talking as he did so, "I was doing a fascinating experiment into the effects of telepathy in a vacuum. Interestingly, possibly due to the lack of particles between the two, telepathic communications are greatly hindered by the absence of –"

"– I don't understand a word of that, Metagross. Anyway, this is Sandshrew, the one I told you about," Ribombee said, gesturing the mouse pokemon, who waved from behind Ribombee. She rolled her eyes.

"Sandshrew, take a step forward, he won't bite."

Sandshrew did as he was told and greeted the Metagross. The Metagross raised a hand in return.

"So, I've heard that you've got a little problem, Sandshrew," said Metagross.

"Well, I wouldn't call it a 'little' problem, Metagross. Ribombee says you can help me, right?"

"Yes, err, yeah, I recall receiving a letter from Ribombee. Err, which one was it? Was it the one regarding the use of pesticides in the town's merchandise? I can assure, they are safe for bug-types to consume. Well, in extreme cases, they can lead to cases of diarrhe –"

"– It's not that. I…" Sandshrew looked around before whispering to the scientist, "I'm in the wrong world."

From above, the sound of a test tube being dropped could be heard as the building went silent.

"What? That's impossible! Implausible! Err… Beldermash?"

"Balderdash?" chimed Ribombee.

"Indeed, Ribombee. How did that happen?"

Sandshrew looked at the psychic-type, deadpan.

"Ah, right. Lucky for you, I've been doing some research into the existence of alternate worlds. The last few months have been really exciting for us as we've uncovered another world besides ours, residing in the same space but vibrating at a different frequency. These old tales about beings called hoomins –"

"Humans," corrected Sandshrew.

"Them, too! There could be a… a world with only humans! A world that has pokemon _and_ humans!" Metagross was quickly get worked up thinking of all of the possibilities.

"Focus, Metagross. Sandshrew needs to return to his world – the humans-only one. Can you do that?"

Metagross scratched his chin, eliciting an unholy screeching sound at the sound of steel scraping on steel. He seemed to not notice the sound, however.

"It'll take some time, for sure, but…" Metagross considered how long such a feat would take.

"You know, it would take less time if you would allow us to… run some tests," said a voice from the stairs. Slightly unnerved by how the prospect sounded, Sandshrew froze before slowly turning to face the stairs. He was met with the sight of a tall figure, akin to a squid, with tentacled hair flowing around him.

"No!" All eyes turned to face Ribombee, "…It won't be necessary, is all."

"Malamar! Don't scare our guests like that!" Metagross scolded his assistant before re-focusing his attention to the duo in front of him, "I assure, he doesn't mean anything, err, mefirious –"

"Nefarious?" Asked Ribombee.

"– That's the one! He doesn't mean anything like that when he mentioned tests."

Malamar stood next to Metagross. From there, Sandshrew could get a good look at his deep yellow eyes. Eyes that seemed to glow with dubious intentions. Sandshrew shok himself from those thoughts. He was still frightened after his initial comment.

"Of course, of course. I trust this is the Sandshrew you described in the letter, your Majesty?" He eyed the mouse up and down.

"Y-yes, the one and only," she laughed. Sandshrew could hear how forced the laugh was.

"Well, I'd better get back to my research. The furtherment of our kind waits for no-one," grinned the squid as he strolled back upstairs.

"Now, if you'd follow me, I've already started on some preliminary research."

Both of them followed behind the supercomputer scientist as he went up the stairs. As they reached the upper floor, nothing but pristine white surfaces polished to a sheen could be seen. Their attention was directed to something in the corner. It was a small computer screen, half-buried in notepads adorned with the same disjointed writing Sandshrew saw earlier in the letter. Metagross briefly rummaged around the desk for a specific notepad. Seeing the correct combination of undecipherable handwriting, he picked it up with a clawed hand.

"As you can read from my notes, we've been analysing the ripple effects creating by things entering and leaving our world."

"Wait, there are things entering and leaving the world all the time?" Sandshrew asked, alarmed by this idea.

Ribombee grasped for another notebook, skimming through some of the pages as she went. Her skimming stopped when she found something unusual.

"Metagross, should we be worried by this?" she asked, showing both pokemon. Sandshrew could see a string of words, circled several times. An awful sound filled the room as Metagross scratched his chin once more.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, Ribombee. Things entering our world happen all the time. Just look at Sandshrew, for example," the steel-type dismissed Ribombee's panicked look.

Sandshrew's head whipped around to face Metagross'.

"I'm not the only one?" Sandshrew's mood perked up drastically at the thought of others like him. Maybe he knew them. The anxiety from Malamar's comment had quickly left his system to be replaced with child-like glee.

Metagross chuckled.

"No, you're the only human that's entered our world. What I meant was that several things of that mignistude –"

"Magnitude?" Interjected Ribombee.

"– Can enter our world and they have never caused a problem before."

Sandshrew tried to understand what they were saying. Being unable to read these so-called 'worrying' notes, Sandshrew felt out of the loop as the two talked.

"…In fact, if I can find it…" Metagross scanned through his notepads again to find another one.

"He you are, Sandshrew. That was the energy reading we picked up when you presumably entered this world."

Sandshrew looked at the piece of paper. He hid his sadness as he realised it was covered in writing. However, there was a small graph doodled into the margin so Sandshrew fixated on that. If that graph was anything to go by, his energy was negligible. Merely a small spike. Barely worthy of any notice.

"Actually, that's quite a small spike," muttered Metagross as he himself looked upon the notes, "You must be very weak here – no offence."

Sandshrew reluctantly nodded.

Ribombee fluttered over to look at the spike.

"That's quite a bit smaller than this, Metagross," Ribombee observed, her face slightly drained of colour.

"Hmm, so it is. I shall look into it. Nothing to worry about, I'm sure. I shall do that tonight," he looked out of the window to see the endless nothingness of the night, peppered with stars. Upon seeing the stars, Sandshrew yawned.

"You've been asleep until the afternoon, Sandshrew," giggled Ribombee, "but you do make a good point. We better head home. Send us a letter if anything happens."

As the two of them exited the building, Sandshrew looked behind him before speaking;

"Are you sure he can help us?"

Ribombee patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm sure of it."

"I can't even read his handwriting, Ribombee! And even if I could read, I'm sure I still wouldn't be able to read it!"

* * *

So, there may be a way for Sandshrew to return to his own world...

Note: I'm aware of the urban dictionary meaning of tentacled; I assure you, I mean the regular dictionary definition.

I liked writing this chapter. Again, I enjoyed creating the characters of Metagross and Malamar. Thanks again to my friend who beta-read the chapter for me. It looks like they enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Hopefully, the same was true for you, the reader.

 **IMPORTANT:** There is going to be another short hiatus. I'm taking a step back to think about the plot. Don't get me wrong - I have notes, I know what is going to happen. But, the question is, how will the plot reach that point? The story is evolving in a way I did not predict, and I need to account for that. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.


	8. Chapter 8: Rocks to Grind

Uploaded 06.10.17

Chapter 8 is here! Sorry for the long hiatus, I was re-visiting my notes and increasing my buffer zone. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 8: Day 49 - Rocks to Grind

Sandshrew paced back and forth in the throne room, turmoil tying knots in his stomach. Today was the day Aggron was arriving.

Three days earlier…

"Right, Sandshrew, y'know how I'm _amazing_ at teaching you things?" asked his Monarch, a playful glint in her eye.

Sandshrew, slightly off-guard from the question, took a moment before responding.

"Well, you're better at reading the book than I am," he shrugged. Ribombee nodded in response.

"That's my point – I'm not, am I?"

"Don't say that! Well, you're, err…" Sandshrew tried to disagree but found he couldn't.

Ribombee chuckled.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not sad about it. In fact, it's given me an idea."

"Don't tell me you're going to teach me to read," said Sandshrew. Ribombee tilted her head.

"That can be plan B. Here's my plan. Being a Queen," she paused to pose eloquently, "I have connections. One of these is with a certain pokemon by the name of Aggron. He should be able to teach you a thing or two. He may be a bit… Enthusia –"

Sandshrew held his hand up to think.

" – Ribombee, I appreciate it but haven't we already established that I _can't_ learn those strong moves?"

Ribombee's devious glint didn't dull for a second.

"I know, I know. But, that doesn't mean we can't teach you some _other_ moves, now, does it?"

Sandshrew looked at Ribombee with a look of puzzlement. She elaborated:

"Rock-type moves. I think I read in that book that every ground-type has the ability to utilise Rock-type moves, although to a lesser extent. It would be useful to have more moves to use, don't you think?"

Sandshrew began to think about this. The thought of knowing some new moves was exhilarating and also exciting. Ribombee noticed the smile on Sandshrew's face.

"I'll send a letter his way."

Sandshrew was nervous. Over the previous few days, he had heard about this Aggron. Even so, nothing prepared him for the steel-type behemoth busting the doors open with a hearty laugh. Ribombee, who was a little more familiar with his ways, giggled at his hijinks.

"I heard there were a wee one needing ma help, M'lady!" He announced, his voice almost loud enough to shake the room.

"That'd be him," she replied, hitching a thumb in his direction.

He ambled forwards, heading for the mouse pokemon. He towered over Sandshrew.

"How are ye, lad?" He extended a gargantuan hand. Sandshrew gingerly shook it.

"I'm… fine, I think," he mumbled. Aggron burst into an uproarious laughter at the Sandshrew's response.

Sandshrew looked to Ribombee, who gave him a thumbs up.

"He can show you the way to the sparring room," she said to Aggron.

"A sparring room? Yer've upgraded since I was last here, M'lady!"

As they walked into the sparring room, the oaf behind the guard, Aggron marvelled at the size of the room.

"Right then, let's get right inter the nitty-gritty of it!"

Sandshrew turned to him.

"What do we do now?"

"We face each other and test our mettle, o' course!" He announced, "Standard sparring rules and, no hard feelings, right?"

Before Sandshrew could register what had been said, a plume of rocks erupted out from the ground around him, missing him by mere inches. Sandshrew reflexively retreated into his spherical shelter. He calmed his breathing as he rolled circles around the rock-type. Sandshrew could hear Aggron's deafening footsteps as the iron armour pokemon tried to keep the ball in his view. Under Sandshrew's command, the energies of the ground manifested in columns of sand that scratched and rubbed away at the sheen of Aggron's armour. In response, Aggron summoned a column of rock to elevate Sandshrew's ball, before dropping Sandshrew into a minefield of airborne rocks. They were pelted at Sandshrew's sandstone hide. Even from within his ball, Sandshrew could feel the sheer brute force of the rocks hitting him.

Changing his direction, the yellow ball summoned the energies to take form as hardened plates upon his hide. Rolling at top speed, he rammed into the Aggron. As expected, Aggron didn't falter or stumble, merely grabbing Sandshrew with steel-clad claws and throwing him on the ground. Sandshrew slowly unfurled himself, feeling pain sear through his back through the toughened plates.

"We'll stop there, lad. I might o' gotten a bit too rough with ye, sorry. It's just been a long time since I've fought wit' someone, is all!" He said in his booming voice.

Sandshrew rubbed his back, nervously laughing.

"Right then, I've seen yer technique. It's got potential but it'll take a bit o' work. Are ye ready?"

Before Sandshrew could reply, Aggron had summoned a myriad of floating rocks.

"This here is the Stealth Rock technique. I used it against ye, though ye might not o' noticed it," he said, nudging Sandshrew. The royal guard looked at each of the rocks. Each one perfectly formed, as if taken straight from a mountain and sharpened to a point. They each slowly bobbed up and down, as though floating on the waves of an invisible sea.

"Now, ye try it!"

Sandshrew closed his eyes and focused. He had learnt to hear the earth beneath him even amongst the cacophony of everyday life, no longer confined to his ball to hear such sounds.

"Rock-types are different ter ground-types. With ground-types, ye negotiate with the earth, use her strength ter aid yer own attacks. Rocks are more stubborn. You don't negotiate. You command 'em. Use strong motions ter order them around."

Sandshrew heeded this advice. He could hear the earth's energies, but he searched for something else. This wasn't sand, which was flexible and easily used, this wasn't the earth, which everywhere and held a presence that could only be persuaded. He was looking for something in between. Stubborn, but still under his command. Searching for the right noise, he found it. Without a second thought, he grabbed for the noise with his hands and swiftly threw them into the air.

"Yer doin' it, lad!"

Opening his eyes, he could see the rocks moving with his will. With broad gestures, he made them all stand to attention and stay in one place. Releasing them, they stayed there, like they were awaiting further instructions. Sandshrew smiled at this. He was no longer restricted to using sand and himself as methods of defending the Monarch.

"Now that yer've learnt one o' the basics, I think ye ready for something more difficult."

Aggron grunted with effort as he hauled some more rocks out of the ground. They shot out from beneath, leaving no hole behind, as they reached the roof. After that, Aggron flung his arms down as they all plummeted back down to the ground and back to the depths from which they came.

"I think they call this one Rock Slide. Try it," he said as he stood back.

Sandshrew, now acquainted with the feeling, was able to quickly find and reach for the rock he needed. Soon, they were hovering metres above the open space in front of them. In the span of only a few seconds, the rocks had come crashing to the ground before returning to the earth from whence they came.

"Yer a natural, lad!" he patted Sandshrew on the back. Sandshrew, through the calloused plates, could still feel the force behind it. At this rate, being unable to use powerful ground-type attacks wouldn't be a problem. Sandshrew's focus snapped back to reality as he heard a voice from the door.

"Not bad, Sandshrew," said Flareon, a judgmental look upon her face as she watched from the doorway.

"Eevee! Is that you? Yer've grown inter quite the pokemon!"

Flareon walked through the door and looked to see who had called her by a name she hadn't heard in years.

"Aggron! It's good to see you after so long!"

Sandshrew was taken aback by the cheerful sound of Flareon. The fire-type, that had always been so guarded, had quickly melted her cold persona to greet Aggron. Looking to the side, he spoke to Sandshrew:

"I taught 'er when she was a wee tyke! Yer've wanted ter be a Flareon longer than I could remember. How's it treating ye?"

Flareon embraced him.

"It's great, Aggron."

He patted her on the back.

"How about ye show me what yer've learnt? Oh! Better yet, how about ye both show me what yer'ver got? A sparring match – How's that sound?"

Flareon's eyes regained their glint of superiority to them.

"Okay. Runt? Are you ready? Maybe Aggron taught you something useful."

After walking to the edges of the room, the two got ready. This was more than a sparring match. This was a chance to settle a score and prove that Sandshrew was worthy. However, Sandshrew had to prove his skills to someone else. Himself. Maybe, just maybe, he could prove that he could get by without the help of his own type. On that thought, he recalled something he had said so long ago. _I'm a ground-type that can't control the ground. What kind of royal guard does that make me?_

Though, this was not the time for contemplation. He glared deep into the eyes of Flareon. At the signal given by Aggron, Sandshrew immediately jetted forward before transforming into a ball and letting loose a barrage of sand which encircled the flame pokemon, smothering her attempt at a Flame Burst. Startled by this turn of events, she couldn't react in time and avoid the yellow ball that hurtled towards her, barreling the flame pokemon against the cold stone wall.

Flareon immediately got to her feet and unleashed a flurry of Flame Bursts in his direction. Sandshrew peeled back away from Flareon as he unfurled and prepared himself. Within seconds, he had managed to hurl a selection of rocks in the direction of Flareon. Dodging and weaving through the small boulders, Flareon managed to avoid most of the rocks, although one had hit her square in the chest. The force of it toppled her to the ground. Sandshrew was a lot stronger than she remembered but that was to be expected of someone that had been taught by Aggron. She was not expecting these new attacks. Regardless, she was not going to lose to Sandshrew. Pain ebbed through her as she got to her feet.

Darting forward, she engulfed herself in flames that licked at the ground as she charged towards the mouse. With a leap, she had pinned Sandshrew to the ground. Sandshrew tried to wiggle his way out or curl into a ball. Flareon increased her temperature as embers began to flare from her tail as she stared into Sandshrew's eyes with a look of (literal) fiery determination. As a final effort, Sandshrew commanded the earth to manifest Stealth Rocks around them. At a moment's notice, they could all come crashing into Flareon. But they didn't.

"Alright, we'll leave it there, shall we?" called out the voice of the jubilant Steel-type. Flareon extinguished herself with a quick shake and Sandshrew dispersed the rocks that sunk back underground.

"Let's say we call it a draw, okay?"

Neither pokemon were very happy about that conclusion, both thinking they had that situation under control. Aggron noticed this tension and diffused it:

"Look, yer both stronger than either o' ye know. Sandshrew, I think it's say to say we made an improvement, eh?" he chuckled as he lightly jabbed the mouse on the shoulder. He got down on one knee and spoke to Flareon.

"It's great ter see ye again, Eevee. I'm glad that yer as sharp as ever."

With that, the two of them embraced once more.

"Goodbye, Aggron," said Flareon, with as warmth in her voice. Clearly, Aggron was important to her. Sandshrew watched the two as the iron armour pokemon got to his feet and began to leave.

As Aggron disappeared from view after exiting the room, Flareon turned to Sandshrew.

"I can see you smirk, runt," she said sharply, dispelling the welcoming atmosphere of the room.

Sandshrew didn't respond. Flareon sighed.

"Well, you are definitely getting stronger, I can give you that."

The yellow mouse's head whipped around to look at her. Was this the same Flareon? Had she just… complimented him?

"But don't get conceited. All it took was a strong pokemon, several weeks and none of _your_ moves," she continued. That was the Flareon that Sandshrew knew. And with that, she, too, left.

"How'd it go?" asked the bee as she whizzed into the sparring hall.

"Pretty well. I can do a couple of rock-type moves, now."

"I heard Aggron had a lot of fun with you," she continued. She attempted to mimic his accent:

"'That Sandshrew lad has a lot o' potential, M'lady. He even went toe-to-toe with wee Eevee and held his ground – pun intended'," she coughed after hearing how bad her impression was, "By the way, is that _true_? You managed to draw against Flareon? You're rising up in the ranks, guard."

* * *

Sandshrew learns new moves and may be on the same level as Flareon now.

This chapter was fun! This, along with the snow day chapter, was my favourite chapter to write. My notes for Aggron were as follows: 'Aggron = Scottish Reinhardt'. Definitely one of my favourite characters, along with Chikorita and Flareon. Sandshrew is now a bit more capable in combat, which is good.

Thanks again to my beta-reading friend! Your comments were useful and humorous.

The next chapter will be up kind of soon. You're going to want to read it...


	9. Chapter 9: Homecoming

_Uploaded 25.11.17_

Sorry for the long wait! I had to take care of some things. I worked harder than usual on this chapter, so I hope it shows. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 9: Day 54 – Homecoming

Ribombee tore open the letter with vigour, anticipation in her eyes. The envelope, both pieces of it, fell to the ground, Metagross' scribbled attempt at handwriting emblazoned on the side. After turning the piece of paper the correct way up, Ribombee eagerly skimmed over the writing. This was the letter she had been waiting for. The letter she knew Sandshrew had been waiting for.

She was taken from her thoughts by the sound of a familiar ethereal voice.

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing, Mismagius."

The ghost-type entered the room, a quizzical look upon her face. Mismagius had known Ribombee for a long time; it was obvious she didn't believe the monarch.

"What did I tell you about reading others' minds without them knowing?"

Mismagius bowed her head a little but her questioning eyes were still visible beneath the brim of the spectral hat. Ribombee sighed.

"…It's complicated. I don't know if I should… if I should tell them," Ribombee muttered. Trying to spare the specifics of the story out of her mind, she let the thoughts flow. Mismagius silently listened to these concerns of her friend, piecing together a vague picture.

"Well, that's the general gist. If I tell Sa – err… them, they'll leave and never return. If I don't tell them, they'll stay but I'll be keeping them from their home. Any ideas?"

Mismagius tilted her head, eyes squinting a little as she asked Ribombee a certain question.

"Wha - ? No, It's not Sandshrew. I mean, w-why would you… think… Okay, there's no use in lying to you."

Mismagius smiled, a victorious look upon her face. But Mismagius wasn't the smug type of pokemon. She began to telepathically speak her opinion on the matter.

"Hmm… that's a point. But he's happy to be here. But he also wants to go home."

She paused as Mismagius continued to ask questions.

"– No, I don't! Not in _that_ way, at least. He's been so helpful here at the hive and he gets along with all of – _most of –_ the other guards –" She stopped as Mismagius interrupted with another thought, "– No, I don't know what he was like where he was from. Another thing to consider, I guess…"

Mismagius descended down to sit with Ribombee who had slumped down to the floor.

"Am I being selfish? To even _think_ about not telling him he can go home, where he belongs? I don't think any of us could imagine a hive without him in it. Even Flareon has a secret soft spot for him, I just know it," Ribombee chuckled.

Mismagius put a robed arm on Ribombee's shoulder. The queen felt nothing, but the gesture was appreciated nonetheless.

"Yeah, you're right. I should tell him. He can decide what to do. Thanks, Mismagius!" she cheered as she whizzed off in search of the mouse pokemon.

Meanwhile, within the training hall, Chikorita leapt to the side to avoid a barrage of flames while Sandshrew deftly rolled past her. The grass-type let loose a flurry of leaves at the flame pokemon before her while the yellow mouse unfurled and used Stealth Rock, sharp edges flying towards the canine from all directions. However, Flareon was far from done. In a single swift moment, Flareon had used a blinding Quick Attack that hit Sandshrew square in the chest. Chikorita took this moment to engulf both of them in a Leaf Tornado. The leaves were quickly intercepted by a cascade of golden sand.

"O-okay, let's stop there," called Chikorita as the sand and leaves dispersed and Flareon stepped away from Sandshrew.

"We're improving," said Flareon, giving a warm nod in Chikorita's direction.

"Definitely!" cheered Sandshrew as he picked off a leaf stuck between a couple of his plates. Flareon rolled her eyes.

"One day, you'll improve too, runt."

"Oh…" Sandshrew muttered.

The monarch of the hive dove around the corner to the training hall. The guards all stood to attention, Mismagius joining them. Ribombee flew to Sandshrew.

"Hey, can we talk?" she whispered.

A minute later, they were alone.

"So, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

Ribombee handed the letter to Sandshrew that she had been anxiously reading not long ago.

"I've been practicing my attacks, not my reading skills. What does it say?" he asked, staring dumbfounded at the upside-down piece of paper.

"It's from Metagross," Ribombee began. Sandshrew's head shot up.  
"Metagross? You mean - ?"

Ribombee nodded. Neither of them said a word.

"I… I can go home…" whispered Sandshrew, partly to himself. Ribombee couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling. If he was honest, Sandshrew didn't know, either. He could go home. The four words that repeated themselves in an endless metronome inside his head. Home, where he belonged. But, he had friends here. He had lived here for the better half of a season and yet he felt at home where he was. After wiping a solitary tear, Sandshrew spoke once more;

"Thank you, Ribombee," he said as he started to walk off, "I'm… I'm going to think about things for a while."

He had often thought to himself what he would do in this scenario, but it was an entirely different ordeal to have that very scenario happening in front of his eyes. Part of him regretted making friends in a world he was merely a guest to. They were bonds that served to make the inevitable severance more difficult. Part of him wanted to stay. He enjoyed this world; the people, the world, everything.

So, he walked. He walked out of the hive. He didn't know where he was going nor did he need to. He just wanted to be alone while he thought about things. He walked through the meadow, taking in the fresh breeze. Was the breeze in his world just as refreshing? Was the sky as clear? Was the grass as green? Sandshrew looked at the letter in his hand. Despite being unable to read it, he knew what it meant. The scribbled writing was giving him a choice. He could return home and think of this world as nothing more than a dream, perhaps. What if he stayed? Would there be people to miss him in his world? Would they miss him more than the other pokemon?

These questions began to weigh Sandshrew down as he sat beneath the tree he woke up underneath. Closing his eyes, Sandshrew cleared his head. The mouse pokemon had come this far already on their journey to go home so why would he stop now? He would always have the treasured memories of this place…

Time passed and, with his mind made up, Sandshrew walked back to the hive. As he re-entered, he asked a Cutiefly to assemble the guards and Her Majesty. They all arrived in a matter of minutes.

"What's this about?" questioned Flareon, impatient already. Sandshrew took a deep breath before he spoke.

"Well, as you all know, I haven't been here long. Truth be told, I haven't been on this world for long."

Flareon tilted her head while the other two guards listened in hushed confusion.

"Really? You assembled us to tell us that you were born recently? I already knew you were born yesterday," she smirked.

"F-Flareon, please. S-Sandshrew, wha-what's… what's this about?" asked Chikorita, worry in her ruby eyes.

"Well, I'm…. I'm a human."

Mismagius opened her mouth, as if to say, 'that explains some things'. She finally knew why she wasn't able to talk to Sandshrew. Being telepathic, she talked directly to the spirit. Being a human, his spirit wouldn't understand the pokemon. Flareon noticed Ribombee's unfazed expression.

"Did you know?"

Ribombee nodded. She knew where Sandshrew was going with this. Chikorita stayed silent. She had often heard of humans in legends, stories of heroism and saving the world. Was she really in the presence of a human? Was this a bad omen?

Everyone became disconcertingly quiet when Chikorita spoke once more to voice her concerns.

"Is… is the world g-going to end?"

To say that was a question Sandshrew was not expecting would have been an understatement.

"What?" asked Sandshrew.

"W-we've heard stories of humans… saving the p-planet when it's in d-danger."

Sandshrew's face dropped.

"…What?" he whispered, mouth getting dryer by the second.

"T-they're just stories, b-but…"

Ribombee hadn't considered this, either. Was the yellow mouse supposed to stay? What if he left?

"We haven't heard anything about any apocalypse coming, so… Could you be the exception?" Ribombee questioned, unsure of what to think.

"He must be. If he's the one to save the world, we're doomed," said Flareon.

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Flareon. I wouldn't be able to help, anyway, so it doesn't matter either way. But it does bring me to my next point. Ribombee and I have talked with Metagross, and he's built a portal that can send me back to my world."

Nothing. No condescending quips, no stuttered questions, nothing. A small part of Sandshrew was relieved when someone spoke but that relief some dissipated upon realising who was talking.

"…What!?"

The other guards and Ribombee turned their heads to see it was Chikorita that had spoken.

"Chikorita…" whispered Sandshrew wistfully as he embraced her. She was the only guard he had truly connected with. Flareon couldn't stand the sandstone-clad pokemon and Mismagius couldn't talk with him. After a while of their silent hold, Sandshrew began to feel his shoulder become damp with her tears. Sandshrew wasn't faring much better but he was determined to stay strong in front of the others. No doubt, he predicted this would be the hardest part of leaving. Chikorita didn't know what to say or do. Mismagius was an understanding friend to her, a silent companion to which the quiet grass-type could talk to. Flareon was like a protective older sister to her. Sandshrew… Words could not how she felt about this. She didn't know how she felt about him in general, the more she thought about it. He was the reassuring smile she needed, she was the kind soul he needed. It took all of his will to end their hug. He couldn't bear to see her like this.

As she felt his arms leave her sides, she looked up at him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, a crushed spirit.

Knowing he couldn't hold it together for much longer, he turned to Ribombee.

"Let's… let's go…" he murmured. Truth be told, he didn't want to leave. He wanted to return home, though. There was no way of progressing without shedding tears. Ribombee nodded, understanding his pain, as she flew out the door. Sandshrew turned around, unwilling to meet anyone's eyes, in particular the leaf pokemon.

"Hey, Sandshrew."

Sandshrew stopped in his tracks to her the voice of the abrasive fire-type. Sandshrew prepared himself for one last scathing remark before he left.

"Thanks for being there for Chikorita. Stay safe."

Sandshrew heard that soft tone he had only heard on that snow-day almost a month ago.

"I-I will."

Ribombee was next to speak.

"Mismagius says that it was nice to meet you and that you seem to be a good person," Ribombee paused briefly while looking at the ghost-type, "'I haven't said a word to you, but you've talked to me, and for that, I thank you'. That's what she said," Ribombee continued.

As Sandshrew reached the door, he mumbled out a quiet word that almost went unheard because his back was turned to them. Lifting his arm in a wave, he said his farewell.

"This is it. Keep each other safe, yeah?"

"Are you sure you want to do this, Sandshrew?"

"Ribombee, the more I think about it, the less sure I am. Let's go."

* * *

So, Sandshrew is leaving the hive to hopefully return home.

I tried to make this chapter very emotional and sad. If even one of you sheds one tear, then I will have achieved my goal. I liked writing the character interactions, as usual. Particularly, Chikorita and Sandshrew. I love those two characters. Flareon as well, because of how scathing her remarks are; it's always enjoyable to think of something for her to say.

Thanks once more to my beta-reader. They cleaned up some errors and suggested the chapter title. They've done an amazing job as usual for putting up with my shenanigans.

The next chapter will be up soon. When I say soon, I don't mean like when I said 'soon' last chapter. I _mean_ soon. See you then!


	10. Chapter 10: H-he's gone

Uploaded 19.12.17

Chapter 10 is here! I have an announcement at the end of the chapter, make sure you read it. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 10: Day 54 – "H-he's gone..."

Once more, the scarf-wearing bee and her royal guard headed for the pokemon city. However, this time, Sandshrew would not be returning to the hive. Understandably, there was a weighty silence between the two. Only the quiet fluttering of Ribombee's wings kept the two from going insane from the silence. Each step Sandshrew took was one step closer to his world. With the farewells done, all that was left was to go through that portal Metagross had constructed. There would always be more Sandshrew wanted to say to the others. But there was no time to think about that.

"…So, that goodbye, eh?" Ribombee tried to strike up a conversation.

"What about it?" mumbled Sandshrew as his thoughts were once again dragged back to that tearful moment.

"You're really going to miss them, aren't you?"

Sandshrew nodded, eyes focused on the floor in front of him.

"We're all going to miss you, too. In fact, I think a certain green pokemon will miss you the most."

"Ribombee, please. Don't make this harder than it is already."

"Sandshrew, tell me. What was that hug back there? Do you…?" her sentence tapered off, as if to suggest something.

"What do you mean?" the royal guard didn't quite follow. Ribombee rolled her eyes and nudged him.

"I think you know what I mean, Sandshrew."

Sandshrew sighed. This was definitely not the time to be thinking about the leaf pokemon.

"Not the best time to ask, Ribombee. I hugged her and only her because Mismagius doesn't have a corporeal form to touch and Flareon would've probably incinerated me. Also, it… it looked like she needed it."

Ribombee put her hand on his shoulder in understanding.

Time passed. The terrain continued to wander past them at a sluggish pace as they went ever closer to the city. Through the sadness, Sandshrew began to feel an overwhelming feeling of optimism. He was returning to the human world after so long. He was going _home_. The anticipation of it all increased his walking speed. Soon, after a long time of travelling, the city could be seen over the horizon.

"Hey, Ribombee. One last race?" Sandshrew smirked, gesturing to the city ahead.

"You're on!"

Sandshrew barrelled down the hill at a wild pace, feeling the ground race beneath him inside the sanctuary of his ball. While he was rolling forwards, the hill in an endless cycle of being on his back, then his tail, then his head, then his back, endlessly, it gave him a spot to think while he continued to dart towards the city. He would miss being a pokemon. He became a pokemon when he arrived here, so it would have only made sense if he stopped being a pokemon when he left, right? Sandshrew could not sense where Ribombee was, being in the air. She could be miles ahead, or miles behind. Feeling a large quantity of feet, he knew he had arrived. Unfurling, he looked behind him to see the minute bee whizzing towards him.

"Well, it's always good to end on a high note," Sandshrew mused as he took in the victory of their little race.

"Yeah. Do you remember the way to the lab?"

Sandshrew scratched his head. Truth be told, he paid little attention to the route they had taken.

"No… But, I have an idea. There's no rush, is there?"

Ribombee tilted her head in contemplation. Really, she hadn't thought about that.

"I like your thinking, Sandshrew," she grinned.

Sandshrew and Ribombee spent some time simply wandering the town. The sights, the smells, the voices, the people. None of these were things Sandshrew would ever see again after that day. The houses that loomed over the streets had a cozy and homely aesthetic, the structures strangely foreign yet familiar to the yellow mouse. Ribombee showed Sandshrew around, making sure to point out every little shop as they passed it.

"…And what's this?"

Ribombee fluttered around the stall a couple of times.

"This stall, Sandshrew, sells the best fruit in the land. Chople berries, sitrus, leichi, waccan, you name it. Actually, I've had a thought…" She trailed off as she pointed to a succulent-looking sapphire berry with lighter patches. The Leavanny at the stall carefully picked up the berry and handed it over to the bee. Ribombee thanked the Leavanny and turned to face her guard.

"Why don't you try it? Yache berry, fresh from the mountains. I hear its good for ground-types," she beamed as Sandshrew gratefully took the berry.

"Leavanny and I are good friends, so we don't have to worry about payments. Isn't that right?" she asked, looking over her shoulder. The Leavanny bashfully nodded, sparing a small glance at the Sandshrew before covering her mouth with a hand.

"She's a bit shy; she only just recently evolved…" whispered Ribombee to Sandshrew.

Sandshrew took a bite of the berry. The hard, outer skin gave way to a soft and dry inside that held an unmistakable warmth to it. Sandshrew felt the warmth of the berry descend down into his stomach.

"A yache berry, was it? That tasted great!" cheered Sandshrew.

Ribombee chuckled.

The duo continued to wander the streets, in no particular hurry to reach the laboratory in the centre of the town. Sandshrew soaked in as many of the sights as he could and listened to as many sounds as he could. Before long, they had crossed paths with a little Vulpix. His tails swished back and forth as he gazed at the taller ground-type in front of him. Sandshrew knelt down to his size.

"Hello there, what's your name?"  
"I'm Vulpix. What's yours?" The fox tilted his head in intrigue, not expecting an exchange in pleasantries.

"I'm Sandshrew. Do you like living in this town?"

The Vulpix giggled.

"I'm not from the town, silly! _Everyone_ knows Vulpixes are from the west," he chuckled.

"Of course. Is it nice over there?"

Vulpix nodded. Why was this stranger asking these questions? Sandshrew looked to Ribombee.

"Maybe you should visit there sometime."

"Where're you from, mister?" asked the small voice.

"I'm… I'm from somewhere very far away from here. I'm returning there today, in fact," Sandshrew smiled, keeping his sorrow from the younger pokemon.

"What's it like where you're from?"

"…Well, it's… it's very different to this place, I can tell you that. The towns are a lot bigger. Taller, too. There are millions upon millions of my kind. I'm a human, you know," Sandshrew smirked at the Vulpix.

"You're silly, Sandshrew. Humans are a myth!" laughed Vulpix.

"Oh, no. I'm very real, Vulpix. I gotta get back to my world," he got closer to the Vulpix and whispered, "shh, don't tell anyone, it's a big secret."

Ribombee hovered behind, amused by this entire exchange. Her hand was covering her mouth, stifling a bout of laughter.

"Well, I'd best be off now. Give everything your best shot, Vulpix. I'll try and do the same. Deal?"

Vulpix shook Sandshrew's outstretched hand before running off into the crowds once more.

"It's getting late. We'd better get you back home, human," Ribombee joked.

"Yeah, time's ticking away."

In the dying light of the day, Sandshrew and Ribombee once more entered the lab. The humming of wings and heavy footsteps advertised their presence. Whizzing around quickly and avoiding the expensive equipment, Ribombee could see no-one. Sandshrew looked around, at the pristine surfaces.

"Do you reckon he went home for the day?"

"No, Metagross sleeps in his lab. Even then, that's a rare sight to see…" Ribombee trailed off as she whipped upstairs to check. Sandshrew leisurely walked around the floor, inspecting the foreign-looking machinery and vials. Bubbling liquids of every colour surrounded him, their purpose unknown to the curious shrew.

"Fascinating, aren't they?" came a voice from the doorway. Amber eyes to Sandshrew he was in the presence of the overturning pokemon, Malamar. Sandshrew quickly stepped away from the test tubes.

"It's alright, Sandshrew. Look, if you want."

A fluttering of wings behind the yellow mouse could be heard as Ribombee returned from upstairs.

"There's no-one upstai – Malamar! I… I didn't see you there," Ribombee nervously scratched her neck. The squid smirked before entering the room, his gaze not leaving the two other pokemon.

"So, where's Metagross?" asked Ribombee.

"He's nowhere to be seen, your Majesty. He said he would have delighted in this seeing this through personally. It looks like the honour is all mine," Malamar said. Silence lingered between the two groups for a brief time.

"Well, come along, then! The human world awaits you! Excited?" Sandshrew looked in disbelief as the dark-type cracked a smile and headed for the stairs.

In front of Sandshrew stood an archway. This archway was surrounded by numerous coils of different-coloured wires. The assortment of scientific equipment buzzed and crackled as visible charges of electricity surged through the wires. The pentagonal frame had several vials filled with unidentified chemicals strapped to it. Malamar flicked a switch and the machine whirred louder as something came into being inside the metallic frame. A twisting and winding vortex of white and blue swirled within its confines, the occasional bolt shooting out to one of the nearby lightning rods. Sandshrew visibly recoiled at the sight of it. He was going to walk… through _that_? Staring into the middle, something beckoned him towards it, but he resisted. Was this safe?

Ribombee saw the worry in her friend's eyes.

"It'll be fine, Sandshrew. If all else fails, you're a ground-type, so you should be okay with the electricity."

This was little consolation to the mouse pokemon. Malamar stood behind them, proud of the creation he had helped to create. Sandshrew nervously took a step forward, edging closer towards the portal. He was stopped, however, when Ribombee took his hand. Glancing back, Ribombee was holding back tears. Sandshrew turned his gaze to the side.

"How long will this portal last?"

Malamar shrugged.

"If you feel the need to say your goodbyes, I can turn the portal off until you are ready. It is no problem."

After entering an unoccupied room, Ribombee and Sandshrew stood in silence for a few seconds.

"Thank you," began Sandshrew. Ribombee shot a quizzical look at him.

"For taking me in. You could've left me underneath that tree. Without you, I'd probably still be terrified or unconscious under the tree. You took me in, trained me, helped me, there's no end to the list, Ribombee. This is my last chance to say these things, so… Thank you."

Ribombee embraced the sandstone-clad pokemon.

"It's been my pleasure, Sandshrew. Goodbye, my royal guard," she said, putting on her mock regal voice for the last part. The two of them shared one last laugh over that.

"Ribombee, is what Chikorita said true? That humans had always appeared when something bad was going to happen?"

"Yes, but I'm sure that thought was just Chikorita being Chikorita; a little scared of the world. You know what I mean, right?"

"What if she's right?" asked Sandshrew.

"That's a risk we'll have to take. Now, stop thinking about us, and…" she teared up a little, "…and get through that portal, Sandshrew!"

It pained her to say it, to her friend, but it had to be said. It was for his sake that this was happening, and she wouldn't forgive herself if she were to not let this happen.

Sandshrew nodded, unwilling to speak for his vocal chords would betray him with a melancholic tone. They both wordlessly returned to the grin and piercing eyes of the squid.

"Are we ready?" asked Malamar, anticipation oozing from his voice. Reaching over, Malamar once more flipped the switch and the portal was zapped into being. The whirring beckoned Sandshrew towards it.

"Are you sure this is safe?" called Sandshrew, struggling to be heard over the incessant noise.

"Very much so. Metagross himself tried the portal out."

Metagross could be trusted, so that was all Sandshrew needed to know. He stared into the portal, into the crashing lightning in front of him. He looked behind him, one more time. Waving goodbye to his dear friend, he took a cautious step forwards before he found himself too scared to go through once more. So, he took some steps backwards, signalling for Ribombee and Malamar to move over.

"Goodbye, Ribombee."

Before Sandshrew could find another excuse to doubt himself, he curled up into a ball faster than he had ever done before and flung himself straight forwards, the floor rumbling slightly as he went. In an instant, he had barrelled through the hectic storm of the portal and was gone. Ribombee stopped shielding her eyes from the blinding light that was emitted as Malamar turned the portal off. Despite knowing he was gone, she couldn't help but expect to see the mouse pokemon standing on the other side of the frame. Alas, the portal had worked.

Sandshrew had returned home.

Ribombee had a mixture of feelings. Happy that the portal had worked, sad that he was gone, relief that he was back where he belonged, anger that he had left. The cacophony of emotion stunned her into silence as she continued to gaze into the empty portal frame.

"Sandshrew is gone, your Majesty," Malamar stated, matter-of-factly.

"R-right, yeah. Thanks. Thanks, Malamar," she muttered as she exited the ornate building.

Ribombee fluttered back to her hive in silence. Already, she missed his company on the long journey home. Rain lightly patted her all over, as though trying to console her, but only working to make things worse. The steady thrumming of water on the grass below her helped to ease her spirit as she vacantly looked at the greenery pass below her. She heard Durant in the distance signal her return. He had mainly stayed out of the way of the impish Sandshrew during his stay.

She landed as eloquently as ever and made her way to the throne, where the other guards were still gathered.

"Your Majesty!" exclaimed Flareon as they all stood to attention.

"I-is he…?" enquired the small voice of the grass-type behind Flareon. Ribombee nodded as she went over to hug Chikorita. Mismagius remained as silent as ever but held a face of sorrow at the absence of the ground-type.

"What happens now?" asked Flareon.

"We continue to live our lives," was all Ribombee could say. She didn't believe she would be able to do that. None of them believed they would be able to do that. Flareon spared the rest of them her usual snarky remark, understanding that the mood didn't require it. Chikorita stayed within the embrace of her Monarch.

"H-he's gone…" whispered Chikorita.

* * *

Sandshrew and Ribombee leave for the city and Sandshrew goes home.

Once more, I tried to emphasise the emotion in this chapter. I have no idea how good I am at doing it, but I did my best. This chapter was fun to write and, as I said last time, if you shed a single tear, I've reached my goal.

Thanks to my beta-reader, once more! Your comments were as humorous as ever and very helpful. This chapter couldn't have been made without them.

And thank you to my audience! Every single one of you that has read or will read this story! You may be but one person, but each and every view, every visitor, means the world to me and brings me an immeasurable sense of satisfaction.

I told another one of my friends about my stories. They read through all of this story in one morning. Refreshing the views page every hour or so to see more and more chapters read, I have to say, it's one of the best reviews I've ever had.

Now, the announcement. Things seem to be drawing to a close on this story, don't they? I could end it here, but I won't. There will be another chapter. This chapter will be different. It will be uploaded on/around (timezone shenanigans) Christmas Day. Make sure you keep an eye out for it!


	11. Chapter 11: 'Epilogue'

_Uploaded 25.12.17_

Here we go! Anyone else excited? Behold the fruits of my labour, the epilogue!

* * *

Chapter 11: Day 65 – 'Epilogue'

In the Pokemon world, there was an expansive and lush plain. The sun, among the clear blue skies, beamed down at the grass that waved in the breeze. It was very serene, fostering very little noise. Standing defiant to the flat land around it was a single tree. In fact, if a pokemon were to sleep underneath it, it would have struggled to find adequate shade in its presence. In fact, a certain human-turned-pokemon found this out the hard way. However, that was long ago.

Where was he now?

Taking in his surroundings, he wondered that, himself. What encompassed was not the cold, sterile environment of Metagross' lab, nor was it the familiar world from which he originated; the human world. Getting to his feet, the figure looked around. In the dim light, foreign luminescent objects were scattered about the area. Not unlike mushrooms, but also not like mushrooms, at the same time. Withholding his desire to touch these alien artefacts, he observed the crystalline texture that radiated small doses of light. The sheen was enough to see his reflection, in fact.

Slowly edging towards the curious concoction, he beheld his own face. Large, sapphire-like eyes greeted him, below a fringe of yellow. Squinting, he reached up and touched his fringe. The fringe was rough, with a brick pattern etched into it. Seeing the colour drain from his own face at the unexpected yet familiar feeling, he saw three claws on the end of his arm. Checking his other arm yielded the same result. After one last look, he had confirmed what he had dreaded.

He was still a pokemon.

The Sandshrew in the reflection sighed as it walked away. The portal had been a complete failure. Sandshrew wasn't home, he wasn't back to normal. Was the cycle doomed to repeat itself? Would he enlist the help of a native being to help him get home, or would he resign himself to living here?

No.

This was no place for living. The unusual obsidian-coloured sand crunched beneath his feet as he wandered aimlessly. The silence threatened to suffocate him as Sandshrew continued on, unsure of what to do.

"Well, this is bad."

The words left his mouth before he had realised it, echoing off of the alien not-quite-mushrooms. The idea of talking to himself did not perturb him as much as he expected it would. It was merely a welcome sound to dispel the silence.

"What if I never leave this place?"

The lonely pokemon listened to the echo ask its concern at him and gave him a reason to pause his walking. The thought ricocheted around his head, as though doing an impression of the empty world around him. In an instant, his resolve came crashing down around him.

Sensing no-one nearby, he retreated to his spherical shelter. After shouting his frustrations to the welcoming blackness within, he spoke.

"Why'd I leave? I was fine in the pokemon world! The grass is always greener until you get to the other side! I can't go back! Why hadn't I thought of this?"

His tail, being so close to his face, quickly became damp with tears. The sorrow only increased as he thought of each face he would most likely never see again.

Why did he go?

That was the question that a certain petit grass-type asked herself for what felt like the dozenth time that day as she hurled a Leaf Tornado at the auburn fox who leapt out of the way.

"You're improving," remarked Flareon.

"D-definitely…" mumbled Chikorita, not so sure. Upon realising the similarities to a previous interaction between the two, albeit with an extra mouse pokemon, Chikorita sighed.

Flareon rolled her eyes, aware of what was going through the tiny leaf pokemon's head. The warm paws of the flame pokemon pattered along the cold floor as she went to comfort Chikorita, her tail brushing past the tiny leaf pokemon, as though caressing Flareon's distraught companion.

"Shall we stop training for now?" she asked, tenderly. Chikorita merely nodded, unable to muster the effort to speak. Flareon caught herself before she could say another scathing comment about the Sandshrew that left them. Instead, she reiterated what she had said before.

"He had to go back to where he came from, Chikorita," responded Flareon, dryly. This was not the first time their training had been disturbed by this topic.

"C'mon, let's go and see Ribombee."

The scarf-wearing bee was in her throne, thinking. Things were too quiet. No-one needed her help, anymore. She knew that was a good thing, really, but she couldn't help but think otherwise. There was no-one to teach. Once more, she was the one being taught. She exited the depths of her thoughts to catch the tail-end of one of Durant's lectures. Something about showing enthusiasm. It all entered one ear and exited the other.

"…Have you been listening to a single word, Your Majesty?"

"Hmm? Yeah. Enthusiasm. Got it," she replied, her mind in other places. Sandshrew was gone, so she found herself with little to do. Aside from training with her guards, very little occupied her time. Time passed as Ribombee stayed motionless upon the royal throne, her head on her hand. In all the time she had been thinking about this, there was one thing that didn't make sense. Surely, she was over-thinking things. But, it still didn't make sense. Metagross was a restless workaholic. He would not have missed the fruits of his labour for the world. And something about Malamar really rubbed her the wrong way. Maybe it was those eyes that were staring a little too deeply into anyone and everyone. Maybe it was the voice. Maybe she was going crazy.

But what if she wasn't?

"What's troubling you, your Majesty?" enquired the steel-type. Ribombee was not usually _this_ distracted.

"Bear with me on this one, Durant…" Ribombee took a deep breath before she elaborated further.

Meanwhile, in an unknown dimension, Sandshrew waited. And waited. And waited. Despite his wishes, the portal was not manifesting itself before him.

"They're going to realise some kind of mistake. Any minute now, I'll be outta here and then I'll be home. I don't care which home, at this stage…"

Quietly mumbling to himself had become quite the enjoyable hobby for the isolated mouse. But what would be more terrifying to the pokemon?

"What'd be worse? Finding out I'm alone here, or finding out I'm _not_ alone?"

His unoccupied mind had time to ponder these possibilities. Regardless, both options sent chills down his plates.

Bored out of his mind, Sandshrew decided to train. It was in case he returned, he assured himself. The rational part of his brain reminded him that it was in case he wasn't alone there, wherever that is.

"Sand Tomb!"

He waved his hands and, to his surprise, was still able to conjure up a small slew of sand from between the sandstone plates that covered his hide. Satisfied, he tried another move.

"Stealth Rock!"

Nothing. No rocks emerged from the alien substance beneath his feet. He felt no indication of the rocks emerging. There was nothing. It took a bit of time before Sandshrew realised.

"…It's not working because this isn't the same planet! I can't command the spirit of the earth when it's on another planet! Well, it _is_ another planet. Shut up. Now, I'm arguing with myself."

Sandshrew sank down to a sitting position once more, eyes devoid of hope.

"Great. Just… Great."

The mood was quite different within the bustling hive. All of the guards had been assembled.

"…What?" was all the stumped Flareon could say, still cynical of the monarch's theory.

"M-Malamar w-was always… a-always a bit… scary," whispered Chikorita.

Mismagius turned to Chikorita, as if to ask, _you only met him recently; You think so?_

Chikorita nodded.

"Well, you're like that with most people, Chikorita," Flareon said. If it had been Sandshrew to voice the same concern, he would have been meet with a callous tone. Chikorita received the opposite, a comment that was warm and gentle, but still a little doubting, like a sceptical mother.

"But, if this is true, what can we do? He's not our problem, anymore, Ribombee," sighed Flareon. Over the past few days, she had gotten more than a little tired of the same topic of conversation. Ribombee clearly thought otherwise.

"Well, it's my fault he's there, so we're getting him back! We have to find Metagross!"

Flareon fell silent at Ribombee's outburst. It was clear that the bug-type was not going to take 'no' for an answer. Flareon felt the miniscule leg of Chikorita touch her front paw.

"P-please…"

The fire-type didn't dare look into the eyes of her friend. With a final pause, she spoke once more.

"How do we get him back?"

"…Thank you, Flareon."

And so, the Queen, the royal guards, the advisors, and the workers, got to work to retrieve their missing guard. To get him back home. To get Sandshrew back where he belonged.

However, the inhabitants of the hive weren't the only pokemon getting ready for something big…

High above the city, booming thunder rumbled from everywhere and nowhere. The heavens crackled, as though enraged by the actions occurring within the now dimly-lit lab. The sky continued to darken, a growing coalescence of charcoal-coloured clouds culminating above one spot. Every single hair of every single living being was on edge. Electric-types cowered under the sheer power of the storm that was gathering around them. Ground-types could feel the static in the air, the unnatural tension.

While everyone murmured and mumbled outside, surrounded by a sea of uncertain pokemon, it was a very different story within the laboratory. Conduits pulsed with energy, leading to the middle of the room, to the middle of the storm. A figure rummaged around in the low light, unperturbed by the unsettling ambience outside. Gears churned, creating their own thunder as cables shone with power, towards a central point. The pokemon, eyes piercing through the dark lab, needed as much power as they could get. Thinking back, they elicited a small chuckle. Their first experiment had been a complete success. A small, niggling part of the pokemon's mind felt remorse for what they had done. But, that some disappeared like the sun mere minutes ago, cloaked once more by a cover of gloom. This cloud of nefarious intent enveloped the thoughts of the pokemon as they continued their work in silence, finding sadistic solace in the unravelling chaos of rain and lightning that went on outside, flashes occasionally leaking into the room to briefly reveal the silhouette of a tall figure. Malamar.

The lightning struck the rod at the top of the laboratory, surging immeasurable levels of power into the machine. The portal sprung to life once more. The first experiment had been a success; a pokemon had successfully been transported to the predesignated location. But, this second experiment, however, was much larger. Much more power was needed to satiate such a large-scale plan. Sending a pokemon through the portal to the other side was one thing…

…Bringing forth the creatures that dwelled within the other side of the portal to this world, was another thing _entirely._

* * *

So, Sandshrew is stranded somewhere and Malamar's sinister intentions are starting to rear their ugly heads...

This chapter was very fun to write. There was less dialogue than usual, and less action, but the main focus was on the build-up. This is the beginning of something much bigger. I'm particularly fond of the beginning; it mirrors the beginning of chapter 1, uploaded all the way back in June, and makes us think - albeit for a moment - that it worked and we were seeing his human form.

Thanks once again to my beta-reader! They beta-read this chapter and the previous chapter almost consecutively, which was no small feat considering the word count.

Do you guys like what I did? I've been looking forward to doing this for a couple months now. Make it seem like the story is ending, title a chapter as 'Epilogue', then WHAM! Hit them with the beginning of the rest of the story! I don't know what to call it; It's not a plot-twist, meta-twist? Pseudo-plot-twist? We'll go with meta-twist. People reading this in the future won't get the full effect of it as they'll see a bunch of chapters after the Epilogue, which makes me a little sad, but hey-ho. It's nice that you and I were able to experience it firsthand. I just blew my own trumpet for far too long, here...

I have no specific plans for the next upload. Maybe New Year's Day, but don't get your hopes up...


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